Trade Secrets

Ileana Sonnabend letter to Castelli, June 6, 1963
This is one of the hundreds of letters exchanged by Sonnabend and Castelli, who remained friends after their separation, in 1959. She started by remarking on Roy Lichtenstein’s recent exhibition at the gallery she ran with her husband Michael (“Michel,” to Sonnabend), where “people stayed for hours and discussed the paintings heatedly.” She wrote of the evening’s success: “Spoerri carried Michel off in triumph down the stairs like a football hero! Ferro kissed his hand!” A handwritten postscript reads, “As you have probably guessed, this letter was written in cooperation with Michel—hence the style.” Does this suggest a delicate dance Sonnabend had to perform between the egos of her two husbands?

Courtesy Sonnabend Gallery