Florine Stettheimer

Florine Stettheimer was an American painter, poet, and theatrical designer born in 1871 and active until her death in 1944. She was associated with the modernist movement, contributing significantly to the cultural milieu of early 20th-century New York. Stettheimer is renowned for her vibrant, whimsical paintings that often depicted scenes of New York society, imbued with a unique blend of satire and celebration. Her work was characterized by a distinctive use of color and a personal iconography that included family members and friends from the avant-garde circles she frequented. Despite her reluctance to exhibit widely during her lifetime, her posthumous retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1946 solidified her legacy as a pioneering figure in American modernism. Stettheimer's influence extends beyond her paintings, as she also designed sets and costumes for the avant-garde opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" by Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thomson.