Description

Description: Jacqueline Onassis neatly signed this friendly typed note to the notorious art gallery owner Andrew Crispo on April 21, 1981. The letter reads: “Dear Mr. Crispo: Thank you so much for sending me the photographs of the John Singer Sargent watercolors from your exhibition. I am delighted to have them and pleased you thought of me. I doubt I will ever part with my watercolors, but will certainly think of you should I change my mind. With best wishes.” Apparently Crispo was trying to buy items from her art collection, which included pictures by John Singer Sargent, John Wootton, Robert Rauschenberg, etc.

Jackie Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994) was the former First Lady of the United States (1961-1963) until her husband John F. Kennedy’s assassination. She was wed to Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis from 1968 until his death in 1975.

John Singer Sargent was an artist that held bittersweet memories for Jackie, as evidenced by a 1963 letter she had written to the MFA director, Perry Rathbone. Two months after Kennedy’s death, Jackie responded to Rathbone’s offer to extend a loan of Sargent watercolors and she responded: “You cannot imagine what they mean to me – or perhaps you can because you extended their loan so chivalrously. But they were in the room — the only room in the White House which was our private, happy sitting room — where the children tumbled around — where we sat with friends. And the ones I chose were on the wall opposite where I sat. The President sat under them. Whenever I think of all our happy days and evenings in this strange house … I think of him sitting in his favorite chair with the Sargents over his head” (wbur.org, 2013). Jackie ultimately ended up returning the watercolors to the MFA.

Andrew Crispo (1945-2024) had a meteoric art world career, laced with scandal, which ultimately led him to jail. Though Crispo was indicted on income tax evasion, he is most notably connected to the “S&M/Death Mask Murder” of a young man in 1985 (Crispo’s assistant did go to jail for that).

Typed on a 7 5/8″ x 5 3/4″ sheet of blue stationery that is imprinted: “1040 Fifth Avenue” at the top. Includes transmittal envelope and a black and white image of Sargent’s Head of an Arab watercolor painting. Item #A01842

Condition: Mailing fold line, otherwise fine condition with a large, strong signature in blue ink.