The Cathedrals of Broadway by Florine Stettheimer - 1929 - 152.7 × 127.3 cm Museum of Modern Art The Cathedrals of Broadway by Florine Stettheimer - 1929 - 152.7 × 127.3 cm Museum of Modern Art

The Cathedrals of Broadway

oil on canvas • 152.7 × 127.3 cm
  • Florine Stettheimer - August 29, 1871 - May 11, 1944 Florine Stettheimer 1929

The Cathedrals of Broadway captures the magical atmosphere of neon-lit theaters, which offered films as well as live performances. As the United States entered the Great Depression, many Americans turned to the world of entertainment to escape reality. Here, New York’s mayor Jimmy Walker throws out the first pitch of the baseball season in a cinema newsreel. An elaborate stage show takes place below the screen, while the names of famous theaters glow around the central proscenium arch. Florine Stettheimer, American modernist painter, feminist, theatrical designer, poet, and salonnière gives us a little hint of the harsh conditions that confronted many New Yorkers in the 1930s.

I must confess that Stettheimer's works are one of my greatest discoveries of this year. I hope you love her art too! To be honest I love it so much, that one of Stettheimer's work became a part of our Women Artists 50 Postcards Set.

P.S. Did you know that a new biography about Florine Stettheimer debunks myths about her life and work?