Sit in a Concrete Gilded Age Ballroom at the Corner of Central Park

As part of the multi-month Public Art Fund 40th Anniversary Celebration, Liz Glynn: Open House was installed yesterday at the Doris C. Freedman Plaza at 59th Street and Central Park. For this commission, Los Angeles based artist, Liz Glynn, was inspired by the grand Fifth Avenue ballrooms of the Gilded Age, in particular, the Stanford White, William C. Whitney Ballroom, which was located at Fifth Avenue and 68th Street (demolished in 1943).

The installation, just eight blocks from the original mansion, turns the Plaza into a ballroom, and features opulent Louis XIV replica furniture created in concrete. Glynn sees the installation as a “ruin,” and included Twenty-six sofas, chairs, footstools, and arches grace the 3,500 square foot Plaza for viewing and the seating pleasure of the public.

Still, there is a social commentary here, that should not be missed. The Public Art Fund writes that the public is invited to “enjoy the artist’s contemporary re-imagination of a historically exclusive space as one that is accessible to all. In this strange facsimile of a once opulent past, Glynn addresses the evolving face of a city: who has access to space in a society that is increasingly divided along socio-economic lines?”

Next, check out 11 other art installations not to miss in NYC this month.