The Stein Family: The Making of Modern Art

Filmmaker Elizabeth Lennard focuses on the impact that the legendary Stein family had on the development of 20th-century European art in this informative documentary. German-Jewish businessman Daniel Stein made his fortune in the San Francisco streetcar lines, and his children—Gertrude, Leo, and Michael—along with Michael's wife, Sarah, enjoyed the benefits as expatriates in Europe. Art collecting was a passion among the foursome, who would encourage the careers of barrier-breaking artists Picasso and Matisse. Gertrude settled in Paris, while Leo stayed in Florence; Michael and Sarah would return to the U.S. and maintain the family business. Combining rare photographs and footage of the Steins and their protégés with commentary from academics and art critics, Lennard does a masterful job of detailing how the Steins influenced European and U.S. appreciation of the avant-garde movement; however, she's less successful in offering a balanced portrait of the Steins themselves—Michael and Leo remain ciphers, overshadowed by Gertrude and the sensation she would create in the literary world through her writing. Also unanswered is the question of why Gertrude and Leo refused to leave Europe at the start of World War II, or how they survived during a time when European Jews faced deportation to the Nazi death camps. Regardless, The Stein Family offers invaluable insight into the Steins' influence on modern art; indeed, it's hard to imagine what would have happened if the family had never left America. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)