Cornelius Vanderbilt by Ernst Plassmann, Grand Central Terminal

This essay is adapted from Chapter 25 of Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide. I’ve kept cross-references to other chapters in the book, all of which will eventually be updated and…

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Faking It (Business of Art, 5)

Almost 20 years ago, I wrote a couple dozen essays on the history of painting for BeyondBooks.com, a subscription service that provided online supplementary materials for high-school students. The site’s…

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Alexander Lyman Holley, by John Quincy Adams Ward

This essay is adapted from Chapter 6 of Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide. I’ve kept cross-references to other chapters in the book, all of which will eventually be updated and…

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Peter Cooper, by Augustus Saint Gaudens

This essay is adapted from Chapter 10 of Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide. I’ve kept cross-references to other chapters in the book, all of which will eventually be updated and…

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Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University: Five Favorites

The Fogg Museum at Harvard University opened in 1895 in a Renaissance-style  building designed by Richard Morris Hunt, whose Metropolitan Museum Wing D (facing Fifth Avenue) was completed within the…

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Lehman Gate by Paul Manship, Central Park

Lehman Zoo Gate Date: 1961 Sculptor: Paul Manship Medium & size: Bronze, on granite pedestal; 18 feet high, 26.5 feet wide, 6 feet deep. Location: Park entrance to Central Park…

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