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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 Artworld

Stettheimer's original title for this work was "Our Dawn of Art," satirizing the current dealings between artists, the commercial art world, and three New York museums. Here "New Art" is symbolized by a naked baby resembling a sleeping bronze angel acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1943. As this plump baby that draws with a red pencil poses at the base of the staircase, the photographer George Platt Lynes and an art critic kneel in reverence. Museum goers are represented by a beautifully dressed young lady who basks in the glow of light reflecting off the baby but ironically generated by the photographer and the critic. The critic Henry McBride stands guard at the entrance of the Met, holding both a "stop" and a "go" flag to mock the role of the critic in controlling public opinion about art and artists.

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