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3 East 51st. Street,
New York, New York.
January 25th., 1939

Dear César:  When I first called up this gentleman at the date indicated - 14th. or 15th. - I was told he was out-of-town until the end of last week. I therefore didn't call him up again before this past Monday. When I finally got him on the telephone, he told me that though he liked the BONNARD very much and had not seen one he preferred at the Chicago show, whence he had just returned, he didn't feel that in view of other purchases etc., he had made, he wanted to buy it. So the Bonnard is back!

When I asked him to come in as I felt there were certain things which I would like to show him and which most probably you hadn't shown him, he answered that he was always very pleased to see beautiful things, but for the reasons which he had just given me - in other words, that he didn't want to
spend any more money - that it wouldn't make any sense, etc.

SANDAY - CHARDIN: I did receive your cable, but what you seem to forget is that Newhouse called for the Chardin long ago and I have been unable to get it back. I am still trying. All the efforts I had made as regards exchange, and so on, were a complete "flop".

I have already telephoned Col. Sanday and Miss Sim, telling them that I was trying to get hold of a Chardin, with the hope that in the meantime they might not buy the other one.

MRS. RIDDLE:  Since sending the Chausson catalogue (which was returned without a word, this morning) I have heard nothing from her, but Charles Durand-Ruel informed me that the old lady had come to the conclusion that her pastel was worth $40,000.!!! I am nevertheless writing to her today to ask
whether she has come to some conclusion. 

GALLATIN-MORRIS-SHAW SHOW:  It is certainly a nice present you made to all of us!, and in fact, I am still wondering why you, who so often tells me that we have to be so careful of every sort of artistic manifestation, in order to keep up our reputation, etc., and not to jeopardize it in any way, accepted this exhibition. It is certainly the negation of any
sort of creative art, it is dried up, full of formulas, without any originality breath or vision. It has certainly no color, and coming after the dynamic, virile, and full-of-sap of the Juan Gris show, only makes it worse!

Bad as that is, social glamour, their innumerable friends in society and the "Village", none of it has succeeded in giving it any sort of life but as a matter of fact, has kept people away. 

Even Henry McBride, who is a friend of theirs and whose inclination is towards radical painting, as we all know, wrote about the Foreword and not about the paintings! The "Times" refused to have anything appear on the Art Page, tc., and on top of everything, I hear that they already had a show last year in New York!!!

I am just thinking what I would hear in the firm, if I had had the daring of engaging on such an enterprise. 



 

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