Painting Central Park

Central Park has been called ‘one of the greatest works of art in America’, and it, in turn, has inspired many of America’s greatest painters. From Impressionists and members of the Ashcan School to twenty-first-century conceptual artists and Photorealists, painters have depicted the park’s landscapes, landmarks, and activities in some of their most iconic work. But until now, no book has shown the importance of Central Park to American art or illustrated the wide range of work it has generated. Among the major figures in American art who have painted it are George Bellows, William Merritt Chase, William Glackens, Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, Edward Hopper, Maurice Prendergast and John Sloan, as well as living artists as varied as Christo and Richard Estes. From early landscapes showing the park during construction, to views of its major landmarks like the Bethesda Fountain and Conservatory Water, to scenes of crowds at play and people in solitary contemplation, to the evolving vistas of the cityscape that frames this urban oasis, Painting Central Park provides a rich and varied visual history reflecting much of the American social experience.