In our discussion of all the outdoor art to see in New York City this month and last, we were remiss not to include the bronze Bart Simpson sculpture on 6th Avenue in front of the News Corp. building. Depicting Bart as a superhero with cape, “Bartman” was made by the actress Nancy Cartwright who voices Bart himself on the hit cartoon. Originally made in clay, out of a suggestion by Cartwright’s son, Bartman in its bronze cast form has a twin at the University of Southern California. Both were installed as a celebration of The Simpsons’ 25th Anniversary.
Cartwright is by no means a professional sculptor, having taken only a one-hour class, but the results are impressive–molded over a 20 hour period. She hopes to do more characters from The Simpsons and other figures from history. Bartman is now a permanent installation at the News Corp. building, check it out between 47th and 48th Street on 6th Avenue, next to Rockefeller Center.
Read about 20 other outdoor art installations not to miss in New York City this month.