prints in the Whitney telephone room to outrageously
naughty prints in the Paysons��� guest powder room, to
Rembrandts, Degas and Picassos, their collections
reflected inquiring minds, taste and humor. Years later,
the Whitneys Boy with a Pipe by Picasso would break
auction records. A photograph of Jackie Robinson had
pride of place on the piano in Joan Payson���s living room.
She was a great baseball fan who owned the Mets.
Regrettably, today in many quarters, family photographs
and amusing memorabilia, let alone art of almost any
kind, appear to be sequestered, even banished. Those
proponents of this aesthetic pursue it at potentially harmful
cost. Had the cabinets of curiosity been extinguished in
the Middle Ages, the Renaissance might not have been as
profound. Consistent, lively engagement and presentation
of the arts and design fuel further inquiry and fuel the
economy.
In Martin Wood���s amusing and informative book, Sister
Parish: American Style, he writes about the Sotheby���s
auction of the contents of this great decorator���s New York
apartment, a highlight of the season:
It was a wonderfully eclectic collection and she
would have been amazed at some of the prices
realized. It showed the breadth of her tastes
and interests, but it also showed the depth of
her historical knowledge of furniture, porcelain
and objets d���art.
HYLAND
