Excerpts from visitors' letters

"... it is unforgettable.  These two months of the exhibition were a feast...done with love for the people...that is why it has been such a success and made such an impression. It gave me the impulse to go on living."
 

" a great part of the exhibition's strength lies in the 'choreography' of the artifacts. Yes, each individual object is exquisite in itself and has its own personality and statement to make, but it is the precision placing of each piece in its relation to its 'performing' and its grouping which creates such charged magic. You have an extraordinary eye, a Master Choreographer's perception of freeing the spirit through simplicity of movement... This was a 'dance' entirely of your creation and very beautiful. I have been to many major exhibitions in both galleries and museums, but never have I felt such a keen sense of partnership between exhibitor and exhibits. There is an obvious chemistry, a refreshing coupling, indifferent to the persuasions of academia."

"...I visited your exhibition two or three times a week despite my ...sick legs. The aesthetic, educational, human influence ... on the soul cannot be overestimated. The appropriate placing gave the effect of perception,...I have understood the exhibition as a living substance that touched me widely and deeply. Mr. Ortiz, thank you for the possibility of seeing the origins of human culture, Thank you for your enthusiasm, energy and craftsmanship!"
 

"This is the best avant-garde."

"I am incredibly grateful to you for a nice gift you have made to my soul."
 

"My wife and I are both artists, we visited your exhibition three times. I  have been visiting museums all over the country for more than 65 years, though I do not remember enjoyment and impressions of the same intensity. The person who created this collection is congenial to all the great artists whose magical works he collected.

I hope...other artists will not only understand and feel the 'language' of the art, but also use it. That language belongs to all nations and ages."
 

"Thank you, God, for such people, as Mr. Ortiz... passionate, gifted, loving, generous. Thank you Mr. Ortiz for exhibiting all these wonderful objects so beloved by you, and now by us."
 

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"Your collection,...filled me with complete satisfaction. I felt I understood the world.  I felt close to the people who had made those things - to  the people they depicted.... what is it that makes your collection different...'common humanity'?  Why is your collection so alive? ...thank you for making available to us your unique collection."
 

"...your profoundly serious collection. I took my 7-year old grand-daughter to see it on Sunday afternoon. I wish you could have seen her delight."
 

"...enthousiastes et émus par cette parade extraordinaire en génie humain....  il y a là un achèvement du goût , de la finesse qui fait de toi un témoin important  de l'histoire de l'art....   l'étonnement et le bonheur des nombreux visiteurs étaient évidents."
 

"...your wonderful collection...the pure joy which it has engendered here.... I have never seen at any other exhibition so many people wandering from perfection to perfection with broad smiles on their faces."
 

"...a year ago...I saw the magnificent exhibition...now I can really appreciate how deep an impression it made.... a case of pure joy.  ... one of the secrets of your collection is of course that the sum is more than the parts.... the objects come more to their right here than in the traditional museum exhibitions.... objects are meant to be seen where  they can enhance and complement each other, not to compete in cramped conditions...main feature of your collection... it makes one happy...manages to make one believe in human mankind.... a purpose especially Greek art fulfils. 

I must thank you so much for the joy you have given me."
 

Speaking of the latter,...I re-read with keen interest your essay "In Pursuit of the Absolute", which I found perfectly apposite in this period.... The greatest threat to the survival of civilization remains the lack of consensus about beauty (or even truth, for that matter) as a definable and meaningful measure of man's achievement. Andrew Mellon explained his collecting urge as a desire to connect his life with something universal. You have carried this a step further by recognizing that the essence of art, its birth if you will, is a search after the truth and the universal principles in each man, leading to universal concepts, guided throughout by a moral approach, if you permit me to quote from you. I find that this phenomenon epitomizes the greatest form of connoisseurship, the faculty to understand and evaluate the character and importance of the artist's intent, regardless of such factors as rarity, condition, or even taste. I salute you!"
 

"ma requête m'a donné un double et considérable plaisir, celui, d'abord, de relire votre beau et grand texte In Pursuit of the Absolute et celui d'admirer à nouveau ces objets choisis avec tant d'humanité, d'esprit et de goût et accompagnés de textes si savants et si pleins d'implication personnelle et témoins d'un si considérable et attentif travail et ce jusqu'à votre dernier et touchant attribut à la breathtaking dame des Carolines"