The Cathedrals of Fifth Avenue
Turning her gaze to Fifth Avenue, Stettheimer treats the spectacles of high society and consumerism with affectionate humor. A newly wedded couple emerges from a church, ready to begin a life of excess and acquisition. Floating above them are the names of New York’s most exclusive shops and food establishments; "Tiffany’s" is spelled out in jeweled letters, and "Altman’s" is shaped from fine home furnishings. At right, Stettheimer and her sisters exit a limousine near Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s gilded Sherman Monument. Like the other three paintings in the series (see MMA 53.24.1, 53.24.2, and 53.24.3), a gilded frame of the artist’s design surrounds the canvas.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Cathedrals of Fifth Avenue
- Artist: Florine Stettheimer (American, Rochester, New York 1871–1944 New York, New York)
- Date: 1931
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 60 × 50 in. (152.4 × 127 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Ettie Stettheimer, 1953
- Object Number: 53.24.4
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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