With Suzanne Smeaton
Tuesday, January 20 at 12:00 pm ET (18:00 CET)
Florine Stettheimer, Family Portrait II, 1933, Oil on Canvas in artist frame, 46 1/4 X 64 5/8 in. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Gift of Ettie Stettheimer, 8.1956. Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/ Licensed by SCALA/ Art Resource, N.Y.
American artist Florine Stettheimer’s attention to the presentation of her artwork, as embodied by her unique frames and curated displays, are integral to a deeper understanding of the viewing experience she sought to create. Drawing upon diaries, sketchbooks, period photographs, and accounts from her inner circle, this webinar will present the startlingly original frames she designed for her paintings, and evaluate their role in her vision of “Gesamtkunstwerk” — the creation of a unified environment in which her paintings were to be experienced.
Suzanne Smeaton is a pioneer in the study and scholarship of American period frames, framing fine art for museums and collectors over several decades.
Suzanne currently focuses on frame research and history and conducting frame surveys in collections both public and private as well as educational offerings. Suzanne is a frequent lecturer at museums across the country, an author on the topic of American frame history, and an instructor for the Appraiser’s Association of America’s Comprehensive Appraisal Studies Program (CASP). Suzanne is a certified member of the Appraiser’s Association of America (AAA). Her most recently published article on the frames of Florine Stettheimer appears in the Summer 2025 issue of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s journal American Art.