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3 East 51st. Street,
New York, New York.
October 20th., 1938

Dear César:

MRS. CALLERY:  I am rather surprised not to have heard from you on this topic.  I have just seen the bill of expenses from MESENS as regards the shipping and insurance, which amount to pretty close to Frs. 8,000., so that it is really a shame to have spent all this money and not try to get something out of it.

MRS. MERZBACH:  I am enclosing copy of letter to her.  You can imagine what the letter I am answering suggests, and please communicate with her.  Under no condition, of course, do we want to have this painting in New York for storing purposes if either they do not want to sell it or if the quality or the price are such that we can't sell it.

YOUR LETTERS:  Very many thanks for your lengthy and interesting and explanatory letters of October 11th., and 12th.

GERMANY:  To sum up the situation, if I understand properly, the only thing we can hope for is one of the Essen Gauguins, and perhaps one of the Matisse you saw in Berlin, as, as regards the others, it certainly makes no sense to over-pay them.

KURT VALENTINE by the way, just called me up and told me he [[ strikethrough]] would [[/strikethrough ]] had a very good man in Berlin who could probably negotiate the Picassos for us.  I immediately answered that we were fully posted on these matters, that you had been in Germany yourself and the best thing I thought was for him to take it up with you when you would be here.

There is also, of course, the KOENIGS deal (?) of the Cezanne and the Van Gogh.

I am highly interested in what you write re ARNO KUNHEIM.

As regards your suggestion of obtaining offers for the other paintings in Germany, I must say that I am extremely reluctant if not opposed, to starting anything of the kind for the time being.  We have ourselves, here, such a large stock of paintings that we must dispose of, and at the present writing I don't know whether we won't have some more of the Doucet paintings.  Why, therefore, confuse people by offering them everything?  I much prefer to adopt the attitude for the time being that the prices asked in Germany are just crazy, and if, later on in the season, we have either failed with our paintings or sold some of them, then try and sell the German ones.

Transcription Notes:
fixed typos---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-02-05 16:00:44 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-02-05 17:38:32 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-02-20 11:32:39