Building Art at Rockefeller Center

**ZippyTheChimp** · August 24th, 2003 06:25 PM

Some of these I know about. If anyone has any further info...

Mosaic over the 6th ave entrance of GE.

At the plaza entrance to GE, Lee Lawrie's Wisdom, Sound, and Light

Wisdom

Sound

and Light

Lawrie also did the model for FDR on the dime.

Over the entrance to the Associated Press Building, Isamu Noguchi's stainless steel News, depicting the tools of the trade.
My favorite.
Noguchi also did Red Cube at 140 Broadway.

5th ave

No need to be a Bible scholar

Lee Lawrie's Atlas

**dbhstockton** · August 24th, 2003 07:01 PM

Thank you very much, Zippy.

**Kris** · August 24th, 2003 08:45 PM

Zippy's probably the forum's best photographer, which is saying a lot.

**ZippyTheChimp** · August 25th, 2003 04:17 PM

Geez, now I've got this reputation to live up to.

I found these at pbase from MSZ
http://www.pbase.com/wtcny/rockefeller_center
Spiders give me the creeps!

Check out the other galleries. In Old NY, there's an old photo of the submarine Nautilus in the harbor.

**Kris** · August 25th, 2003 05:43 PM

I'm just flattering you to encourage you to keep doing your thing for us to enjoy.

**TLOZ Link5** · August 25th, 2003 07:16 PM

Extremely reminiscent of ancient Babylon.

**Jack Ryan** · August 28th, 2003 09:30 PM

I've always loved that story of Diego Rivera refusing to alter his mural on the ceiling of the R.C.A. Building's lobby. Seems the Rockefellers took offense to his depiction of Lenin leading the workers to glory. Rivera, when told to remove Lenin's likeness from the piece, flatly refused and got fired. His masterful mural was then chiseled off the ceiling, obliterated, and replaced with what we see there now. *

**Jasonik** · August 28th, 2003 10:38 PM

Wow... collective bargaining doesn't really apply to a commissioned artist does it.

My favorite mural is of transportation on a deep red background. *Cars, Planes, Automobiles, Ships, Clouds swirling- awesome- so dynamic. *I think there is a Banana Republic, or a Gap next door to the lobby.

Noguchi's News piece is incomparable. *It's the type of thing a future plundering force would strip off the building and put in their museum, a la the Parthenon's frieze.

**Fletch52** · August 29th, 2003 06:27 PM

Where is the Isaiah 2:4 located?

**TLOZ Link5** · August 29th, 2003 07:36 PM

I think on the grand staircase descending into the plaza, judging by the surrounding masonry.

**aprokos** · February 25th, 2007 12:37 PM

Here are more photos of the Art Deco sculptures and reliefs at Rockefeller Center. They are such a treasure, and a real insight into one of the most dynamic periods in New York City history.

**Bob** · February 25th, 2007 05:21 PM

The stuff is absolutely terrific. It's like a visit to the 1939 NY World's Fair.

**ablarc** · February 25th, 2007 06:44 PM

Wow, sure am glad this thread got bumped up.

Great photos, Zip.

And terrific works of art.

Why did we ever give up Deco, anyway?

Sure beats most of the overwrought and anti-social prima donnas we coo at these days.

**Luca** · February 26th, 2007 02:50 AM

Whoa! who's "we".

I surely enjoyed Zippy's pics...but...isn't ornament "crime" ???

**ablarc** · February 26th, 2007 06:14 AM

^ "We" is the great unwashed plurality that winds up speaking for us all (there it is again!) --as in "we elected George W. Bush twice to the Presidency."

Btw, the French are very clear about who "we" are*: we are of course all of us, acting monolithically.

(* as we are about them.)

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