The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-02-05
Mr.. Stuart Davis
Wants to Know

| Dear Mr. Mcbride: Somebody made
the statement tome the other day that
art was being done in America The idea
| had never occurred to me before ana
| the statement made very little impress
sion on me at the time Thinking 1t over,
| however, l found myself accepting this
| all but incredible discovery. There is
an unacceptable fascination about the
thing that grips you. A regular vampire
of an idea. The knowledge that right
now, around us, in New York city. as
we'll as elsewhere. artists are creating
worthwhile things gives one sense of
comfort hitherto inexperienced. 1t
struck me that other people might be
interested in knowing what l had
learned l spoke about it to several per-
sons and they were delighted. Two or
three had found it out already from
some source unknown to me. One was
skeptical and demanded to be shown.
SHOW me the work" he said. Not
having any Of my work with me ! was
unable to comply with the letter of his
request ] got over the difficulty, how
ever, by calling to mind about twenty
five names of persons whose work
asserted complied with my initial rep
reservations The skeptc was unmoved
but no doubt will think better of 1t when
the idea of being included in so exalted
list strikes him. At any rate / am of
the opinion that the work will appear
simultaneously with the acceptance of
the. idea that such work could exist in
America
My purpose in writing this letter was
TO ask you whether the idea appealed to
you sufficiently to expound It to your
customers. Some of them might be in
! terested to know that America was "A
| safc place to be in after ALL IL you
| could write an article with this idea as
a basis ] think 1t would do lot Of good.
Maybe you have done so already but
another crack at it wouldn't hurt any
, thing. At any rate, I have given ex-
preston to my little enthusiasm and
hope that it may have some results.
sincerely, STUART DAVIS.
800 West Twenty-second Street New
York city
You ask of me large order In a
way have answered your question
many many times already, but, as Won
say there is no harm in taking another
crack at IL. However. as a number of
artlsts nave also posed questions in the
| shape OF exhibitions that must no an
swered, L must necessarily be briefer
ana more elliptical in my statements
than l should like
DO agree that art is being done IN
I'd, tnough not precisely in the
| open Inc artist as hero no longer seems
~ ioui isil' we nave no one who seems
/ 10 take the part of Leonardo in reIa-
tlon TO the commonwealth The upbt
! that is turned upon great mon In o.,
walk of modern life, however is % 20
ientless that few can face IL unblinking
~. Ihey DO not have enough privacy in
winch 10 arrange effects for the p1lbIic
anu IL mas come to such pass that our
great wits, such as Charley Tovne ac,,-
! any refuse dinner invitations unless ~,
happen to have thought up a wittjcier,
10 JUSTIFY their presence. II is al,vavs
possipie' OF course. to have the Other
. o vi greatness-the Rembrandt kind
uies III garret-and up TO this this
O., s"e klnd we have specialized upon
ana c "insiow Homers, Albert Ryders
ana George Fullers have led rothas
hunted exstences. "'ier
But, here Is where I aeree u,i,t,
40 not believe the genus Leonardo ..
cNtinct think he and his mates COW
When nation flowers into orea,,,sa.
60 '"ihk THIS nation Is BEGINNING g.
! before the war | used To snan,,
&c HIuch time in Europe as $50
u ,,nu ana was frequently told h,, -
ish and French friends "Why IS
snouid never take you for an America -.
80 was meant as a compliment ana
vas accepted as SUCH Nv stool, reni,'
tnis compliment was II am not On.
az an exile In America and only begin
-. wren get abroad" which went
great as you may well believe H.
| ever, when the war broke ont so,,,o.t'I'
| Happened TO me that happened IN ,,,o -,
| others OF the hyphenated and til. ~,
land OF my birth. '"pe's 10 the
WnateVer was to be the final outcome
OF the war ! saw at once In 1ata ~.
.he supply of mysterious ether tba, baS
hitherto sustained artists In E,,raaa
! upon nigh plane would be exhaustod
that Europe. as far as you and Stuar,
vas concerned. was finished. I beIioy,
that the dominating country in tho
"o'Id mas the chance for the greatest
! expression In art. and although, 7 uas
forced to take immediate passage ri,
70 tnis country realized Instantly unor
landing that the scoptre OF power had
teat me to New York This cit, ma
taken on the indescrlbable air OF q. world
oapital-with all the cosmoplita nisn
and liberty and authority that go with
H. IL was impossible not TO be sorry =,
little-much. even-for London and
Paris. but it was also impossible not 10
exult and feel pride in what fate had
| brought us.
/ must be brief and you have led me
intc large subject. But authority il
enc OF the chief attributes OF great art.
and authority Is now ours. II was not
by accident that Spain had it's velasauez
In the time of its ascendency nor that
the Medicii had tomb carved by
Michelangelo or that rich Venice had
its Titan Rich patronage gives rich
results.
| am amused to notice that you have
little list Of those whom you consider
TO be doing art. Pray give us your list.
Why not? Vaguely I had thought OF
about twenty-five young Americans OF
undoubted talent, and II you have any
that are not upon my list ! ought to