Clarissa Watson (April 8, 1918 – March 17, 2012) was anAmerican author, art connoisseur andsocialite as well as the writer of the popular Persis Willum mystery series. Known as the “doyenne of art”[1] onLong Island, she was a co-founder of The Country Art Gallery inNassau County, NY and was a prominent figure in upper classNew York andLong Island society for most of the twentieth century.
Born on April 8, 1918, Watson grew up in the wealthy Long Island village ofUpper Brookville, and later became a resident of bothGlen Cove, Long Island andSassetot le Mauconduit inNormandy, France.[2] A member of elite New York society, Watson was acquainted with numerous famous and influential people, including former Secretary of StateMadeleine Albright, authorAnita Loos, formerVogue editor-in-chiefDiana Vreeland, and former CBS executiveBill Paley.[3]
Watson raised two children with her husband, Edward Louis Watson.
In 1953, Watson co-founded The Country Art Gallery and Art School withJoan Payson, then-owner of theNew York Mets.[1] The gallery was originally located inWestbury, Long Island, but was later relocated toLocust Valley in the 1960s.[2] AsDirector of the gallery, Watson was the first to exhibit works by many notable artists such asMartha Cahoon,Ray Johnson,Rhoda Sherbell, andJamie Wyeth.[3] Due to Watson’s social influence and the quality of the artwork she collected, gallery openings were often attended by famous and influential people, includingGrace Kelly, French painter and authorFrancoise Gilot, and American comedianWalter Matthau.
In addition to an author and a gallery director, Watson was a member of the Board of Trustees of theHeckscher Museum of Art, an Art Consultant toAdelphi University, and Cultural Deputy for the United States of the Association for Economic Expansion and Tourism of the Canton de Valmont in Normandy. She was also a member of the National Society of Arts & Letters, theAuthors Guild, and theMystery Writers of America.
In 1977, Watson published her first book,The Fourth Stage of Gainsborough Brown, the first in a series of fivemystery novels following amateur detective Persis Willum. Of her protagonist, Watson reportedly 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."[3] Watson frequently incorporated her knowledge of art into her novels.[4]
Watson died on March 17, 2012, inSaint-Cloud, France, at the age of 93.[2]
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