Florine Stettheimer, Family Portrait II, 1933, MoMA Collection

Then Back to New York

Florine Stettheimer

Then Back to New York

And sky towers had begun to grow

And front stoop houses started to go

And life became quite different

And it was as tho' someone had planted seeds

And people sprouted like common weeds

And seemed unaware of accepted things

And did all sorts of unheard things

And out of it grew an amusing thing

Which I think is America having it's fling

And what I should like is to paint this thing.

Florine Stettheimer, New York/Liberty, 1918-1919, Private Collection

New York

Florine Stettheimer

At last grown young

With noise

And color

And light 

And jazz

Dance marathons and poultry shows

Soul-saving and rodeos

Gabfest and beauty contests

Sky towers and bridal showers

Speak-easy bars and motor cars

Columnists and movie stars.

Florine Stettheimer, Self-Portrait with Palette(Painter and Faun), undated, Columbia University Collection

The unloved painting:

Florine Stettheimer

The unloved painting:

I was pure white

You made a painted show-thing of me

You called me the real-thing

Your creation

No setting was too good for me

Silver-even gold

I needed gorgeous surroundings

You then sold me to another man.

 Florine Stettheimer (1871-1944)

화가, 디자이너이자 시인. 뉴욕주 로체스터의 부유한 독일계 유대인 가정에서 1남 4녀 중 네째딸로 태어났다. 아버지가 가정을 버린 후 엄마는 자식들과 뉴욕으로 이주했다. 플로린 스테타이머는 언니 캐리, 동생 에티와 맨해튼에 살롱을 운영하면서 'Stetties'라는 별명으로 불리우며 문화생활을 즐겼다. 에밀리 디킨슨처럼 지인에게 시를 써보내다가 사후 동생 에티 스테타이머가 1949년 시집 '크리스탈꽃(Crystal Flowers)'을 출간했다. 1946년 MoMA에서, 1995년 휘트니뮤지엄에서 회고전이 열렸다. 쥬이시뮤지엄은 2017년 5월 5일부터 9월 24일까지 회고전 'Florine Stetteimer: Painting Poerty'를 연다.