Lincoln Kirstein

Artist Fidelma Cadmus married cultural impresario and cofounder of the New York City Ballet Lincoln Kirstein in 1941. This rather stern but lovingly detailed likeness of the handsome (and bisexual) Kirstein may commemorate the couple’s nuptials of that year. Showing him dressed formally, looking directly at the viewer, and with his lips slightly parted as if he is about to speak, the portrait suggests Kirstein’s privileged pedigree and commanding presence. The fine brush strokes describe fabric textures, skin wrinkles, and hair follicles with equal intensity, producing a mesmerizing clarity evocative of Renaissance portraiture. Two years after this portrait was made, Kirstein enlisted in the U.S. Army, for whom he played a role in the discovery of many important works of art looted by the Nazis.