Christmas

A glowing yellow tree, trimmed for the holiday, stands at the center of a dreamlike gathering, with figures assembled around it against a city backdrop washed in soft pink, yellow, and blue hues. The scene feels festive yet strange, as if a familiar winter ritual has been reimagined through a fantastical lens. This oil painting, titled Christmas, was created in 1930 and is held at the Yale University Art Gallery, having come to the museum through the gift of the estate of Ettie Stettheimer. The artist, Florine Stettheimer (1871–1944), was an American painter associated with Catalan modernism. Especially striking is the way the tree's radiant yellow pulls the eye through the composition, anchoring the softly colored crowd and buildings that surround it in quiet, dreamlike celebration.