Curator, Ann Temkin: Most of the art in this exhibition is by French artists, but there is one American artist: Arthur B. Davies. He was one of the co-organizers of the Armory Show. He painted a bit more conservatively than the French artists he was introducing Bliss to, but she bought many works by him.
Bliss’s Niece, Elizabeth Bliss Parkinson Cobb: She told me once that when she was in her middle forties, she went into a terrible depression and just felt that she couldn't go on with her life. She went into a gallery, just to try to divert herself. And so she began getting interested in visual things.
When she saw an exhibition by Arthur B. Davies, she was so taken with it that she went back two or three times, and she bought some. And finally she said, you know, I think I have to meet this man.
Writer, Kate Walbert: Davies was, by all accounts, a charismatic presence. Bliss developed an incredible friendship with him. Her mother did not approve. But she did it anyway.
Elizabeth Bliss Parkinson Cobb: She took to going to his studio in the afternoons and playing the piano to him. She was teaching him about music and he was telling her about pictures. And out of this came her collection, which he very much guided.