Lot 58
O'Keeffe, Georgia -- Autograph Letter Signed Mentioning "Mr. Barnes". (1887-1986) American artist best known for her large-format paintings of flowers and bones, New York City skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. Autograph letter signed, one page, 10½ x 7¼", on embossed letterhead from "The Shelton - New York," the hotel where O'Keeffe and photographer Alfred Stieglitz moved in 1925 and where they lived (on the 30th floor) for twelve years, n.d. (c. 1925-37). Written in blue ink to "My Dear Bessie Reed", she writes, Thanks for your letter. I have been too busy to be thinking about going to see Mr. Barnes, but today I am writing him. We will see what comes of it. Sincerely, Georgia O'Keeffe."
The "Mr. Barnes" she mentions in her letter was probably Dr. Albert C. Barnes, an industrialist who invented Argyrol and sold his massive company just a few months before the stock market crash of 1929. He devoted the rest of his life to acquiring the art collections which constitute the Barnes Foundation, now located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Dr. Barnes bought two of O'Keeffe's paintings in 1930 but returned them. An archive of letters between O'Keeffe and Dr. Barnes, from 1927 to 1949, can be found in the Barnes Foundation Archives. Estimate Value $500 - UP
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| Realized $406 |
