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The Cathedrals of Art, 1942–44
Florine Stettheimer (American, 1871–1944)
Oil on Canvas; 60 1/4 x 50 1/2 in. (153 x 127.6 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Gift of Ettie Stettheimer, 1953 (53.24.1)

The Artists' World

Stettheimer wanted this Cathedral to be seen above all as an artist's view of the art world. The figures identified as "commère" (godmother) and "compère" (godfather) in each of the painting's lower corners are in fact the artist and her decorator friend Robert Locher, who serve as witnesses to the complex story unfolding behind them. Artists are identified in the painting, either by name—such as "Picasso" and "Florine" (referring to Stettheimer herself) written in the smoke above MoMA—or by caricatures of their work or faces. The famous photographer and gallery owner Alfred Stieglitz appears in a dark, mysterious cloak on the stairway, while Pavel Tchelitchew hides behind the compère's screen. Their presence is hidden and subtle compared to the wild antics of the gallery dealers and museum professionals who line the staircase. The implication of Stettheimer's composition is that the artworld is dominated by many influential figures and institutions and that artists are the currency of their power.

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