Monuments and Masterpieces: Histories and Views of Public Sculpture in New York City

With an extraordinary collection of works by great sculptors and architects reflecting America's history and aspirations, New York City itself is a magnificent museum of sculpture. The public parks and plazas of the city display statues of our heroes in war and peace; fabulous faiades and fierce gargoyles decorate its great institutional and religious buildings; and commemorative monuments, bronze animals, and terra-cotta ornaments punctuate its boulevards and avenues. In Monuments and Masterpieces, art historian Donald Reynolds has created an authoritative guide to this unique collection. He surveys eighty examples of sculpture and architecture across the five boroughs, from Grant's Tomb and the U.S. Customs House in Manhattan to the fanciful gates of the Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn's Cadman Plaza war memorial, Staten Island's "Hiker" monument, and the American Architectural Terra-Cotta Company in Queens. Reynolds charts the rise and fall of styles, symbols, and techniques of public art, telling the fascinating stories that lie behind every work. In doing so, he deftly chronicles the fascinating and sometimes surprising social history of America, recorded in granite, bronze, and terra cotta.