CLARISSA WATSON

WATSON--Clarissa (Chris) Hanson In a glowing review by critic Judith Crist of Watson's first book, The Fourth Stage of Gainsborough Brown, she stated, "The protagonist is my kind of female: a grown up gal with brains, charm, and attractive foibles - a flesh and blood sleuth who's coincidentally a lady." Clarissa fit the description perfectly. Author, Art Gallery Director and resident of Glen Cove, Long Island, Sassetot-le-Mauconduit (Normandy), France and formally of Upper Brookville and Westbury, LI, she died on March 17, 2012 in Saint-Cloud, France, just short of her 94th birthday on April 8th. Most everyone on the North Shore of Long Island interested in fine paintings and sculpture knew of Chris, who brought art to Long Island in 1953 when she founded The Country Art Gallery and Art School in Westbury, with Mrs. Joan Payson, deceased former owner of the New York Mets baseball team. She relocated the Gallery to Locust Valley in the 60s, where she was Director for almost 25 years. She organized wide ranging international exhibitions and was the first to exhibit many prominent American and European artists including Jamie Wyeth, Ralph and Martha Cahoon, Jack Frankfuter, Rhoda Sherbell, George Gach, Henry Koehler, Ray Johnson, etc. Clarissa's enchanting and high-relief personality - and her guest list - made Gallery openings a community event where one might meet personalities such as Princess Grace of Monaco, the actor Walter Matthau, or Francoise Gilot, French painter, author of Life With Picasso and mother of Paloma Picasso. Some of the people she knew socially or who attended her lively after opening dinners represent the unique era of the 50s and 60s in New York and Long Island: Tex and Jinx McCrary, Diana Vreeland, CZ and Winston Guest, Jock Whitney, Babe Paley, Bill Paley, Al Vanderbilt, Horst, Anita Loos, Madeleine Albright, etc. As a passionate spokesperson for the arts, she was instrumental in the founding of the Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn, where she had served on the Board of Trustees. Former Art Consultant to Adelphi University, she had served on the Board of Trustees of the Hechsher Museum, was a well-known art mystery author with novels published in the United States and abroad, had been on TV in the US and France and had held memberships in Mystery Writers of America, The Authors Guild, The National Society of Arts & Letters and the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club. Wife of the late Edward Watson, mother of the late Alden Wentworth Watson she is survived by her daughter, Robin Watson Picarle (Jacques) of Glen Cove, New York, Garches and Sassetot-le-Mauconduit, France. A service will be held in Ashland, Wisconsin. Donations in her name may be made to Saint John's of Lattingtown, Episcopal Church, 325 Lattingtown Road, Locust Valley, New York 11560. The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center of Boston University, will be the repository of a Clarissa Watson Collection of her manuscripts, papers, and correspondence.