Finding 30: Correspondence with Artists’ Wives

This holiday card featuring a reproduction of Collage (1958) by Jean Arp was sent to Thomas Messer by Marguerite Arp, the wife of the famed artist. The Thomas M. Messer records contain a significant number of letters to and from the wives of artists, including Marc Chagall, Alexander Calder, Naum Gabo, Francis Picabia, and many others. The letters reveal not only the personal relationships that Messer developed with these artists’ wives over his career, but also the important role that women played in the careers of their husbands. Often, they functioned as the artists’ managers, publicists, and social planners. Messer recognized this relationship and often conducted acquisitions and exhibition planning with them. 
 

—Pete Asch, archives assistant