Event on Madison Avenue

We have lithographs by Toulouse-Lautrec, Ronald Searle, and Auguste Renoir. There is a story about how we acquired them.

In November 1968 we returned from a trip to Europe and still had unused traveler's checks, a situation requiring immediate action. We decided on a stroll down Madison Avenue to find art work that might not exceed the value of the checks. (Hah!) We hadn't gone very far when I saw a drawing of a little girl in a shop window; it was love at first sight; I just had to have her. Mom agreed.

Then we noticed the name of the shop: Far Gallery. It was owned by Murray Roth and Herman Wechsler, friends of Paul Levenson, (married to Mom’s sister Anne) when he worked at Macy’s in New York, who had told us to look them up. We introduced ourselves, and the fun began: 1. The little “girl” was Claude Renoir, grandson of the famous artist; 2. The “drawing” was a lithograph by Claude's grandpa; 3. Our new friends brought out the Toulouse-Lautrecs; I almost exploded with excitement, travelers checks out of mind; 4. Mom saw the Searle lithograph (it is in her bedroom) and giggled with joy; 5. One of the owners then gave us a book, a veritable encyclopedia explaining the various ways in which prints are made. He autographed it; 6. We bought the Searle, the Renoir and two Toulouse-Lautrecs, arranged to have them framed and shipped with the book.

In the spring of 1969 the gallery tempted us with several lithographs; we opted for two more Toulouse-Lautrecs.

We have never tired of our selections; we think the frames and artwork are exquisite. They are a great joy; when Mom was more mobile, she would go through the living room during the day just to enjoy our gifts to ourselves. With a photographer’s eye, I marvel at the simplicity of lines and the unusual use of light by the artistes. The lithographs have not increased one whit in value since we bought them; no matter, we love them more and more as time passes.