![]() There are striking juxtapositions and surprising sightlines, and objects that tell different stories depending on the angle you look from. The exhibition, which is free but requires timed admission tickets, includes cases dedicated to exploration, religion, performance, childhood, visual arts, social activism and other themes, whose contents will rotate regularly. ![]() “It’s something that’s always being debated and argued, even as it’s being imagined.” “This shows that history isn’t set in stone,” said Anthony Marx, the library’s president, who had popped down to show off a few items. It lists 12 amendments, rather than the 10 that were approved. Right behind it - at the center of the gallery, and the library building itself - is an oversize handwritten copy of the Bill of Rights, one of 14 that George Washington ordered made during the debate over ratification. Covering 4,000 years of history, it mixes big-ticket items (a Gutenberg Bible, Shakespeare’s First Folio) and who-knew delights, like Andy Warhol’s painting of a Studio 54 ticket (inscribed “To Truman,” as in Capote). The exhibition, supported by a $12 million gift from the philanthropist Leonard Polonsky, is the culmination of more than three years of shopping the library’s epic closets, which hold more than 45 million manuscripts, rare books, prints, photographs, audio and film clips and other artifacts. Or that’s the message behind “Treasures,” the library’s first ever permanent installation of highlights from its research collections. ![]() Walk up the stairs past the stone lions, through the marble entrance court and into the ornate Gottesman Hall, and you can peer into dramatically lit cases holding medieval illuminated manuscripts, a ballet slipper designed by Coco Chanel, the stuffed toys that inspired “Winnie-the-Pooh” and Virginia Woolf’s walking stick, among other prized items. Many lingered, taking in every atmospheric inch of the famed institution, which is coming up on its 125th year-and thanks to the promise of continued support from its city and patrons, it’s looking better than ever.The most exquisite holiday windows on Fifth Avenue might be inside the New York Public Library’s flagship building at the corner of 42nd Street. Mayor Bill de Blasio was met with applause when he exclaimed that “this library is as great an expression of democracy as any other thing else on earth,” and that “here is a place for everyone.” Cheers continued when he announced that City Hall had invested $33 million to keep the library strong.Īfter dinner, guests slowly made their way to the lobby to have books signed by the honorees and to enjoy a Wonka-esque dessert bar. Over an appetizer that artfully combined edible flowers and caviar, guests were treated to a zingy swing performance by Wynton Marsalis-who ended up leaving the stage to play among the receptive crowd who couldn’t help but bop in their seats. Echoing the tablescapes were projected floral motifs on the walls of the library and up-lit plants that gave an old room filled with books a vibrant, kinetic, and romantic feel. Though New Yorkers love any excuse to dress up and enjoy the novelty of the New York Public Library after dark, they were there to celebrate this year’s honorees, including poet Elizabeth Alexander, composer Philip Glass, novelist Jamaica Kincaid, historian Jill Lepore, and filmmaker Frederick Wiseman-a patchwork of artisans and intellectuals whose work is already deeply woven into the fabric of our culture.Īt the melodic chime of the dinner bell, guests made their way into the grand hall to find their seats along banquet tables that had been transformed with colorful floral arrangements, hurricane candle holders, antique library lamps, and golden bowls of berries. Schwarzman building, sipping Champagne and rubbing elbows with living legends in every corner-Joyce Carol Oates and Diane Sawyer in one, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Senator Chuck Schumer and his wife, Iris Weinshall (NYPL’s COO) in another, and Library Lions cochairs Princess Firyal of Jordan and Lauren Santo Domingo somewhere in between. ![]() ![]() Guests, dressed to the nines in their best eclectic rendition of “black tie,” mingled in the halls of the iconic Stephen A. On Monday night, New York’s literati and culturati gathered to celebrate the 2019 honorees at the New York Public Library’s Library Lions gala. ![]()
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