Freedom, by Zenos Frudakis
Zenos Frudakis, Freedom, 2000. 16th & Vine Streets, Philadelphia. Photo copyright © 2019 Dianne L. Durante

Freedom, by Zenos Frudakis

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Philadelphia (aside from seeing Hamilton: An American Musical!) was finally seeing this sculpture in person. I love the concept of it.…

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Central Park’s Reservoirs and Great Lawn
Original reservoir, 1842. Image: New York Public Library

Central Park’s Reservoirs and Great Lawn

Imagine standing in the center of that large, open area behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art, taking a deep breath … and sucking in water. For more than two centuries,…

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Alexander von Humboldt, Central Park

Sculptor: Gustaf BlaeserDate: 1869Medium & size: Bronze bust (5 feet), granite pedestal (9 feet). Location: Central Park West at 77th Street, just east of the Museum of Natural History. Gustaf…

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A Visit to Modern Art Foundry, NYC

The video of this post is public on YouTube. I lived in New York City for three decades without suspecting that the Modern Art Foundry was casting bronze sculptures just…

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Ladies Pavilion, Central Park

Jacob Wrey Mould, Ladies Pavilion, 1870 or 1871. Central Park. Photo copyright © 2019 Dianne L. Durante This delicate little pavilion is one of the few structures left to show…

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Still Hunt, Central Park

Date: 1881-1883 Sculptor: Edward KemeysMedium & size: Bronze, over lifesize, on a boulder. Location: Central Park, East Drive at 76th St., on the west side of the street, high on…

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The Rowers, Central Park
Irwin Glusker, The Rowers, 1968. Near Loeb Boathouse, Central Park. Photo copyright © 2019 Dianne L. Durante

The Rowers, Central Park

Date: 1968 Sculptor: Irwin GluskerMedium & size: Bronze; two figures in a small boat (about one foot square), on a three-foot bronze and granite pedestal. Location: Central Park, just east…

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Bethesda Fountain, Central Park

Except for the four brutally practical transverse roads, the only straight line in the Greensward plan is the Mall. Vaux and Olmsted thought a grand promenade was essential for a…

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Jacob Wrey Mould’s Designs in Central Park

Jacob Wrey Mould (1825-1886) was a bit of a beast. George Templeton Strong, who admired him, called him “ugly and uncouth.” A leading architectural magazine labeled him “brilliant, accomplished, ingenious,…

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Victor Herbert in Central Park

Dedicated 1927Sculptor: Edmond T. QuinnMedium & size: Bronze bust, over lifesize.Location: Central Park Mall, across from the Bandstand, near Beethoven. Edmond T. Quinn, Victor Herbert, 1927. Central Park, New York.…

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