Maine Monument, by Attilio Piccirilli

This essay is adapted from Chapter 16 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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Abraham Lincoln, by Henry Kirke Brown

This essay is adapted from Chapter 16 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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Buying and Selling Art (Business of Art, 1)

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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Snow Babies, Central Park

Snow Babies Date: 1938 Sculptor: Victor Frisch Medium & size: Cast stone, each figure 2 feet 9 inches high Location: Central Park, entrance to Rumsy Playfield (formerly a playground, now…

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Museo del Prado, Madrid: Five Favorites

The core of the Prado's holdings came from the collection of the Spanish monarchs, whose taste ran to royal portraits and religious subjects, and whose money could buy the best…

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Bertel Thorvaldsen, Central Park

Bertel Thorvaldsen, self portrait, 1839 in marble; bronze copy 1892. Central Park, New York. Photo copyright © 2018 Dianne L. Durante Sculptor: Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen (self-portrait) Date: Original marble 1839; this…

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Favorite Photos of 2017

One of my hobbies is snapping photos as I take long walks around New York City. These are my favorites from 2017. Maybe I do get a kink in my…

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Progress on the Tappan Zee, November 2017

I posted on the Tappan Zee in April 2016 and June 2016. I am so jealous of my friend Al M., who gets to see the progress from a train…

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