Postmark: November 21, 1959

Dear Lennart & Mimi [who are at the American Academy in Rome]

Hope you are O.K. & happy & taking full advantage of everyone and everything. We are settled back into our dull routine of a-social isolation, watching with open mouths the current festival of lavish, brightly lit, glamorous openings – all the galleries are bigger and more heavily financed than ever – of young and older artists burning brightly with ambition and whispered Machiavellian schemes. Everybody is exhibiting, even me – look at this announcement. But note that the show is at the Tanager. Bertha Schaeffer really did want me to join her gallery but I couldn’t make up my mind; maybe I resented her missing our appointment that time in Rome (the evening you walked with me along the Via Veneto). In the meantime a list of her scheduled shows for the fall were published – my name among them. Also in the meantime Peridot Gallery ran an ad in Arts Yearbook saying “Peridot Gallery – contemporary American including Pearlstein” and then listing works by Picasso, Cezanne, Rodin, etc. Of course this was because Arts had a color plate (lousy) of a painting of mine – but temporarily it turned my thoughts favorably in their direction – temporarily – so when they called up wanting to know why I was scheduled to show at Schaeffer Gallery, I felt angry with her for listing me without my decision so I assured them I was in their gallery but that I was going to have a show at the Tanager for the hell of it.

Also Dorothy is about a month pregnant. (Sub conscious rivalry with Irma maybe) but we did want another joy in the family.

Heard that Dave Lund was taken on by Borgenicht Gallery. Dimitri Hadzi seems to be with Widdifield Gallery.

Did you know that I got a teaching job just before I left Italy? Heard while we were in Venice. I am at Pratt teaching 3 courses, 16 hours a week – one course is an art history affair. I like the work very much. It’s a tremendous relief from commercial work. Alex Katz is teaching at Brooklyn Museum. But maybe you don’t know him.

I’m sending along the photos of you I made at that old monastery. Sorry they are not greater, or even great.

Have you seen Lois Dodd yet? I recommend you to her as being friendly types.

Enjoy yourselves.

Philip