October 2010
56 posts
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Louise Nevelson Plaza
Russian born Louise Nevelson began her shallow relief sculptures in the 1930s. She moved from studying in New York to Munich to assist Diego Rivera, before returning to teach art on the Lower East Side. Louise Nevelson Plaza on Maiden Lane is the first public place to be named after an artist in New York, a feat for a female artist. Several Cor-Ten sculptures can be seen in this park.
Who: Louise...
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Botero's Adam and Eve
Fernando Botero is known for his luscious curvaceous figures in sculpture and painting, some just refer to it as “fat.” Trained as a matador and set designer, Botero has declared himself the “most Colombian of Colombian artists,” and has flourished since he moved to Spain in the 1950s.
His large and in charge bronzes are scattered in public spots around the globe (a large collection is on Museum...
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Red Square Lenin Statue
The statue on the top of this building is not hailing a cab from the roof, but has actually hailed from Mother Russia. The giant Lenin was originally a state commissioned work, which was hidden after the Soviet Union’s demise and found in a backyard of a dacha outside of Moscow. Sitting atop a luxury high rise called “Red Square”, developers purchased the statue to poke fun at...
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Doris C. Freedman Plaza
The late Doris C. Freedman was a friend of the arts, she was Director of Cultural Affairs for New York City, President of City Walls, the Municipal Art Society AND the Pubic Art Fund. She fought to legalize residency of Soho artist lofts, and helped introduced the percent for art legislation, which requires large scale development projects to dedicate 1% of their funding to public art. Situated...
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Graffiti sticker wallpaper @ Ace Hotel
Since the early 90s, Michael Anderson has collected graffiti stickers off of New York’s streets. And now, Ace Hotel has used Anderson’s collection to create an incredible wallpaper of his collection of 40,000, which include artists such as Steve “Espo” Powers, Barry “Twist” McGee and Shepard Fairey. The wallpaper, which is printed on silk paper, can be found in the grand stairways in...
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City Hall Park
A beautiful little park amongst the governmental and financial buildings, City Park is a great place to bring a packed lunch, and sit around the fountain, surrounded by old timey oil lit lanterns. The park was returned to its pre-Civil War splendor in 1999 by Rudy Giuliani, including the Jacob Wrey Mould fountain, with its gas bronze candelabras, which was designed in 1871 and had been relocated...
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"The Commuters" by George Segal
Ah, the Port Authority. As cleaned up as Manhattan has become, the bus station still reeks of a little sleaze. Maybe it’s the divey commuter bar, or the in house bowling alley, but the bus station feels forever frozen in an ageless time.
Capturing the timeless hustle of bustle is George Segal’s “The Commuters.” Similar in style to his “Gay Liberation Monument” in Christopher Square, the three...
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J. Seward Johnson, "Double Check"
A member of the Johnson & Johnson health and beauty empire family, J. Seward Johnson is known for his life-size bronze casts of actual people doing ordinary things. A philanthropic over achiever, his sculpture of a business man sitting with his briefcase survived the September 11th attacks covered in debris. Located in the plaza (now called Zuccotti Park) kitty corner from the World Trade...
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Nick Walker, "Morning After" Mural
Dwarfed beside the new ultra-modern Cooper Square Hotel is the Asian Bistro, Cooper 35. I’ve spent many an early evening here, for their cheap food ($3 hummus!) , even cheaper drinks ($4 for a giant pint glass of booze) and outdoor garden to boot. It is the perfect spot to start an evening. On the garden side, British street artist Nick Walker has painted a mural of one of his “Morning After”...
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LOVE Sculpture by Robert Indiana
I had naively originally thought Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture was unique to Philadelphia’s LOVE park. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The original image was designed for the Museum of Modern Art as a Christmas card image in 1964. It was made into a colorless Cor-Ten Steel sculpture in 1970 and was shown in New York. (that sculpture has been on display at the Indianapolis Museum of Art since...
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Large Coqui by Tom Otterness
There really are Tom Otterness pieces all over New York. Living around the corner from this site, Otterness has given the playground of PS 20 this large bronze frog for children to play on. The Coqui tree frog was chosen as it is indigent to Puerto Rico, and this section of the Lower East Side is predominantly Puerto Rican.
Who: Tom Otterness
What: Large Coqui
Where: PS 20, Houston and Essex...
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ABC No Rio
A Lower East Side institution since 1980, ABC No Rio is the epicenter of DIY culture- featuring rock and punk shows, a gallery space and art studios. A collective of collectives, the building houses non-profits such as Food not Bombs, Darkroom Collective, The Zine Library, Books Through Bars, The Citizens Ontological Music Agenda and a Visual Arts Collective which has studios and gallery space....
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Residence and Studio of Chuck Close
Chuck Close can be seen around town at art events in his fancy electric wheel chair, which holds him at almost eye level. Achieving fame with his large scale photorealistic paintings which are comprised of a grid of color and shapes, Close is one of the most recognizable contemporary painters. Sever spinal artery collapse bound him to his wheel chair in 1988, but did not affect his...
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Day's End by Gordon Matta-Clark
What is today the parking lot for the Department of Sanitation, was once the site of Pier 52. The abandoned piers along the Hudson River were remnants of various industrial eras of New York, all of which had long passed.
In 1975, as a monument to Chelsea’s long Industrial Age, Gordon Matta-Clark went to work on Pier 52. Slicing channels in the pier’s floors and ceiling, and cat eye shapes in the...
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National Arts Club
Founded in 1898, this gorgeous Gramercy mansion is dedicated to the fostering of the arts. With incredible interiors such as Tiffany ceilings and an impeccable art collection, the club also has rotating exhibitions and lectures on an array of topics. Get in if you can- although the lectures are in an unimpressive basement, the rest of the mansion is simply breath taking, packed wall to wall with...
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Woolworth Building
So, Woolworth’s is no more. But Frank W. Woolworth’s tribute to capitalism remains. The neo-Gothic building was the tallest and most modern building in 1913- and paid for in CASH. It is still one of the 20 tallest buildings in New York.
Ayn Rand, eat your heart out.
Who: Architect Cass Gilbert
What: Woolworth Building
Where: 233 Broadway, 10279
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A.I.R. Gallery
In 1972, discouraged by the male-dominated art world, artists Barbara Zucker and Susan Williams opened this all-women co-operative space. Referencing Jane Eyre and the term “Artist in Residence,” AIR was formed in response to a 1970 protest at the Whitney Museum, since it only contained 5% of art by female artists. The gallery was structured as an exhibition space and as a co-op; members pay...
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Chagall's Murals at Lincoln Center
In 1966, master painter Marc Chagall painted to enormous murals for the Metropolitan Opera, entitled “The Triumph of Music” and “The Sources of Music.” The murals, considered New York treasures, were painted in Paris then sent to New York. They are visible from the plaza of Lincoln Center. Having a long relationship to opera, Chagall also painted the ceiling of the Paris Opera, as well as set...
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Warhol's Silver Factory
This was the site of Warhol’s Factory from 1962-68. Rent was about $100 per YEAR! The building no longer exists- Warhol moved the factory to Union Sq West in 1968, but this is known as the Silver Factory- the one Billy Name decorated with tin foil everywhere. The Silver Era is what Warhol referred to as the time of intense parties at the Factory, amphetamines, Warhol Superstars, decadence...
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Eleanor Roosevelt
A throw back to the traditional style of public art, the bronze statue, is Penelope Jenck’s statue of Eleanor Roosevelt at the entrance to Riverside Park on the Upper West Side, which was formerly an on ramp for the Henry Hudson Parkway. Dedicated by Hilary Clinton, Eleanor Roosevelt is the first American woman for whom a statue has been commissioned for a city park. She sits atop a large...
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Metronome
Most people I know say “What the hell is that thing? What is it counting?” as they point to the smoking, giant wall piece that is posted on the south side of Union Square. The answer is, one of the largest private commissions for public art in history.
With the Public Art Fund acting as a consultant, the developer Stephen M. Ross went through over 200 submissions before choosing “Metronome” by...
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Gordon Matta-Clark's Food
I love Gordon Matta-Clark. It is true. I love how he turned architecture into sculpture, by cutting holes in buildings or slicing them in half. I love how he bought random properties from auction, and would film his visits to them- often they’d be a 10’ x 1’ strip between two buildings, or a tiny corner of a yard. Everything Matta-Clark did was art, including cooking and eating.
In 1971, inspired...
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Pre-White Columns
IN 1970, artist Jeffrey Lew opened 112 Workshop here, a first come first serve studio and artist run space. Artists were given total control to curate their own shows and performances. One of the first artist run spaces, 112 Workshop fostered the beginnings of artists such as Vito Acconci, Laurie Anderson, Joseph Beuys, Chuck Close, Gordon Matta Clarke (co-founder), and Richard Serra to name a...
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Soho Gallery Building
Now a luxury loft building, 420 West Broadway was the epicenter of the art world in SoHo for many years housing the galleries of Leo Castelli and other leading art dealers. Formerly an deserted neighborhood of factories, these pioneers turned the industrial wasteland into a cultural destination. It was here at Sonnabend Gallery in 1969 that Vito Acconci famously masturbated under a ramped floor...
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Jim Kempner Fine Art
Chelsea is a sea of white box galleries, one building looking like the next since it was formerly all warehouses. It is easy to lose your bearings- unless of course you are on the corner of 10th Avenue and 23rd Street. Designed by architects Smith & Thompson, the Jim Kempner Fine Arts building echoes the artists it shows- namely Richard Serra’s signature raw Cor-ten steel, which lines the...
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St. Ann's Church facade
The historic St. Ann’s Church was built in the 1840s, and had quite a history of worship- being home to Protestant, Catholic and Jewish congregations during its time. In 2004 the Archdiocese of New York closed the church for good, and sold it to a private developer. This enraged the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, who sought to protect the building and rectory as landmarks....
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The Gershwin Hotel
A truly art encompassing “hostel” (although it is much nicer than a hostel), the Gershwin is adorned with giant white horns on its façade, and crammed with Pop art in its interior- from Warhol to Michael Lin to Banks Clayton. They also host art related events such as performances, release parties and dance. Its namesake is due to the history of the area- pop songs of the 1930s and...
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The Factory/ Warhol shooting
In 1968, Warhol moved his Factory from 47th Street to the sixth floor of this building. Paul Morrissey found the spot, and Warhol deemed it ideal for several reasons- it was mentioned in “May Day,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Communist Party still had an office on the 8th floor, and Saul Steinberg rented the top floor. Mostly though, Warhol said the “Silver Period” of Factory parties was over,...
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5 Pointz- Graffiti Mecca
Also known as Graffiti Mecca, this graffiti covered warehouse is “curated” by Meres One aka Jonathan Cohen. International graffiti artists from novice to well known are asked to paint the outside in an ever- evolving exhibition. The inside host shows and art studios, the complex is featured in many fashion shoots and music videos (recently Joss Stone). On any given day, one can find...
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Tilted Arc by Richard Serra site
On this site in front of the Javits Federal Building stood the controversial 120 foot long CorTen Steel “Tilted Arc” by Richard Serra. The piece was commissioned by the United States Arts-in-Architecture program in 1981. And the workers at the Federal Building HATED it.
Of the intent of the sculpture, Serra said “
“The viewer becomes aware of himself and of his movement through the plaza....
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The Pulitzer Fountain
The ultimate post-mortem vanity plate to himself, Joseph Pulitzer left $50,000 for the Pulitzer Fountain, to be erected in Grand Army Plaza at the South Eastern tip of Central Park.
His instructions were to create “a fountain like those in the Place de la Concorde in Paris.” A design competition awarded Karl Bitter and Thomas Hastings the honor and it was erected in 1916. Bitter wanted the plaza...
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Isamu Noguchi- Red Cube
Isamu Noguchi’s prolific career spanned from the 1920s until his death in 1988. Raised in Japan by his American mother (he is the illegitimate son of Japanese poet Yone Noguchi), Noguchi at first was discouraged from being an artist until he began taking sculpture classes in New York. He then moved to Paris and began his art career as one of Brancusi’s assistants, where he learned stone...
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Frank Stella, Saatchi&Saatchi Lobby
Saatchi & Saatchi, the infamous ad agency that gave us the “I Love New York” campaign, have their New York Headquarters on lower Hudson- which could be considered South Greenwich Village. Viewable from the street, several large Frank Stella pieces adorn their lobby. I’ve entered before, and depending on the guard of that day, you may be allowed to take photos.
Influenced by...
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The Met's Period Rooms
Everyone knows The Met is the city’s most epic museum, with a vast collection from ancient to modern. I don’t have to tell you that it is a must see. I love to twirl around the period rooms alone, with my iPod, and day dream. My favorite is probably the interior from the Hôtel de Varengeville in Paris, circa 1740.
Also, in warmer months, go to the roof, have a glass of wine and check out...
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Comme de Garcons building
The Comme de Garcons building on West 22nd Street is set amidst a heavily art-ed area, with Beuy’s 7,000 Oaks„ a slew of galleries and the Chelsea Art Museum on the same street. The building itself has a Futurist entranceway, a metal spaceship looking portal which extends from the street into the middle of the store, sucking visitors in.
Street artists started covering the façade of the...
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Revs Sculpture
In the early 1990s, reclusive graffiti legend REVS put his name up everywhere- huge white letters all over the city to New Jersey, some which still remain. But after an arrest in 1994, he skipped town for Alaska.. He has had only one gallery show- in Philadelphia in 2000, with the sole purpose of raising money to pay his lawyers. Other than that, the artist isn’t interested in selling his work,...
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Washington Square Park Arch
In 1889, to mark the centennial of George Washington’s presidency, the city of New York constructed a wood and plaster arch at the North End of Washington Square Park, at the foot of 5th Avenue. It was so popular, that Standford White was commissioned to create a permanent marble arch, modeled after Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, in 1892. During construction, human remains, a coffin and a gravestone...
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Chrysler Building
Automobile-inspired, Art Deco decadence, the Chrysler building is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world and was designed by William Van Alen. Built in 1930, it was the headquarters for the Chrysler company until the 1950s, but was paid for privately by Walter P. Chrysler, so that his children may inherit it rather than the stockholders.
It has influenced writers and artists alike,...
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Chelsea Market
The Chelsea Market was once the site of the biscuit monopoly of the United States. Formerly a giant Nabisco Factory, everything from Oreos to Saltines were baked here and at the warehouse across the street which Phillips de Pury Auction house and Milk Gallery now occupy. The two buildings are connected by an oxidized Art Deco pedestrian bridge, designed by Louis Wirsching Jr.
In the 1990s, Irwin...
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Picasso's Bust of Sylvette
New York University seems to have bought up this entire city. The Brutalist “Silver Towers” off Bleecker Street were designed in by I.M.Pei’s (who is most famous for designing the pyramid glass structure at the Louvre in Paris) firm in the 1960s to be used as student housing. Pei personally chose to enlarge one of the five busts from Picasso’s 1934 series inspired by a woman named Sylvette David...
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Chasing Marcel Duchamp
33 West 67th Street
During his lifetime, visionaire Surrealist, Cubist and Dadaist, Marcel Duchamp took residence in New York many times. In 1915, after the declaration of World War 1, he fled Europe, moving into a studio at 33 West 67th Street owned by arts patrons Louise and Walter Conrad Arensberg. The Arensbergs became lifelong friends, and rather than charge him rent for his two year...
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Keith Haring- Crack is Wack!
Restored by the late artist’s estate in 2007, Keith Haring painted this orange and black mural on the opposite side of a handball court wall in 1986 as a reaction to the raging crack-cocaine epidemic in New York.
This “Crack is Wack” mural was one of the best surviving murals that Haring produced illegally, which is ironic considering the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation was behind...
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Gramercy Park Hotel
The Gramercy Park Hotel, situated just off New York’s exclusive private park, is fancy. It is evident in every detail in every facet of the hotel that it was created by an art lover. And it was- hotelier Ian Schrager, already known for his epic love for design, hired Julian Schnabel to oversee the décor. Schnabel also designed all of the furniture in the hotel and bars, and curated the...
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Forrest Myers- The Wall
Look up. See those steel blue bars sticking out of that building? That is “The Wall” by Forrest Myers, which was commissioned in 1973 by the building’s owner to cover architectural scars- and became known as the “Gateway to Soho”, before it was the commercial hub it is today. Since 1997, it has caused a lot of controversy between the owners and the state. The owners claimed the piece...
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Fritz Koenig's Sphere
Originally commissioned for the World Trade Center, The Sphere stood between the Twin Towers in Austin Tobin Plaza from 1971 until the 9/11 attacks. The 25 foot high bronze by Fritz Koenig was meant to symbolize world peace through world trade, and rotated once ever 24 hours. It was set atop a ring of fountains by Minoru Yamasaki, that mimicked the Grand Mosque of Mecca, Masjid al-Haram.
After...
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Confucius Bronze
I do love Chinatown. As smelly, and crowded it is, with fish being thrown everywhere and who knows what you just stepped in (NEVER wear opened toed shoes), it makes me feel like I’ve gone on a little vacation. I stock up on frozen veggie steamed buns, cheap bok choy and weird cookies at Hong Kong Super Market on Hester. I love to take friends for a $1 treat- green tea waffles at Paris Sandwich on...
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Apple by Stephen Weiss
Stephen Weiss, the late husband of Donna Karan, created his “Larger than Life” collection shortly before his death from a long battle with lung cancer in 2001. The collection includes for pieces; a high-heeled shoe, a roll of film, a Dressage horse and this big apple, which is a tribute to New York City. The Dressage Horse was the final piece, completed posthumously by Weiss’s son, was presented...
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Jean-Michel Basquiat's Studio and Apartment
Madonna and Basquiat
In this building with private Japanese restaurant ,Bohemian, the native New Yorker, Jean-Michel Basquiat lived and worked here until his overdose at that magical age of 27. He had a rich short life- starting as a graffiti artist, writing “SAMO,” before joining the punk rock scene with this band with Vincent Gallo called “Gray.” Frequenting and playing Max’s Kansas City,...
