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Mary LaskerMary Lasker
Photo Gallery
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Part:         Session:         Page of 1143

Lasker:

No, no, the auction gallery wasn't at all aware of it.

And he started to clean it and gradually the very fine head came out, and as he went further, the man's hand was on a table next to a skull, and I realized when the skull started to come out of the over-painting that the value of the picture had dropped from about $125,000 to $30,000, because portraits with skulls were no good. You could sell that only to a museum not to a private collector. And he was very sad when this skull appeared. He sold it to the Nuremberg Museum, I think.

Q:

Do you recall some of the expeditions to the country houses?

Lasker:

Only that we weren't particularly lucky and that I adored going to them because they were very beautiful. I often would go to look at English gardens; I loved English gardens and would go just for fun.

I remember being asked--I belonged to one of the British art associations that had various collections opened for members--at one time Buckingham Palace was opened for the members and I asked another dealer if he didn't want to go with us, and he said no. And I asked, “Why not?” and he said, “Because there wouldn't be anything for sale.” Well, I was the only art dealer in New York, as far as I know, that had any formal training in the history of art.

Q:

During this time did you keep in touch with Paul Sachs?





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