1st floor, the Geduld Family Rotunda
Richard Haas' majestic cityscapes form part of a larger mural cycle commissioned by Philip Morris Company, now Altria, for its basement dining room at Park Avenue and 42nd Street. Installed around the entire perimeter of the dining room, the illusionistic mural offered employees a trompe l’oeil (French for “to deceive the eye”) panoramic view of Manhattan identical to the one enjoyed by executives on the 26th floor. The paintings shown here belong to the 11-panel section of the mural featuring a view south from Midtown toward the World Trade Center Towers, Statue of Liberty, and Empire State Building.
The series demonstrates Haas’ characteristically playful approach to creating art that at once depicts and becomes part of the built environment.
Exhibitions at The New York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.
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