HERBERT FERBER
105
tance with those closer to the case. The memoir is spiced with lively
sketches of Mark Rothko, Theodoros Stamos, Bernard Reis, and
Frank Lloyd.
It
is perhaps pertinent to note that Stamos and Reis
appear as Meyers's friends, and Lloyd as one with whom he had ex–
tremely pleasant business dealings. He did not, he mentions, know
Levine well. Levine, Stamos, and Reis became executors of Rothko's
estate, and Levine and his wife became guardians of his son, Chris–
topher. Frank Lloyd was, of course, Rothko's dealer.
Despite Meyers's claim to have known some of the key figures,
I must raise serious doubts about his version, doubts based on mate–
rial in my files and those of my lawyer, and on my own long friend–
ships with Rothko, Stamos, and Reis. Meyers does not seem to
know, for example, that my former wife and I were sole executors
for the Rothko estate from 1950 and guardians of Kate, after her
birth, until years later when, because of the increasing value of his
work, Rothko thought it advisable to have younger men administer
his estate, and in the case of Reis, to have a sophisticated financial
advisor. Because of the many errors in Meyers's story, I feel obliged,
however distasteful the task, to set the facts down in order to avoid
the repetition
ad infinitum
of incorrect and fanciful material.
For example, his description of Bernard and Becky Reis is only
partly accurate.
It
is true that they acted as hosts to many intellec–
tuals, writers, artists, and critics from Europe and the United States
in their home on 68th Street, and that Reis was generous with advice
in financial and personal matters. But he was happy to add to his fa–
mous collection the gifts of paintings and sculptures he received from
artists in lieu of payment. Moreover, Meyers seems unaware of
Reis's high-handedness in his dealing with artists: for example, his
annoyance at having his advice questioned and his insistence on
complete control. The door to his salon usually was open only to
those who sought his help.
As the years went by Reis became closer to Mark and his af–
fairs, and Mark more and more dependent on his counsel. This is, I
believe, as do other friends of Mark's, the principal reason for the
catastrophe after Mark's death, for the long and sordid litigation,
and for the suffering of all those involved. Meyers recognizes Mark's
dependence and mistakes it for a good relationship, but fails to note
the harmful influence in the years before Mark died, the decline in
his independence, the growth of his fears, and his inability to make
decisions without Reis at his shoulder. In a man formerly known for
