Rockefeller Center remains an undeniably vibrant location in the City of New York, not just because of tourism, or its famed holiday tree, but also because of the comings and goings of people employed at or near the complex. We can attribute the vitality of the Center to the streamlined urban planning, architectural design, and program of artwork established in the 1930s that set it apart from the cityscape that surrounds it.

The diverse artworks at the Center which form the thematic program known as “New Frontiers,” virtually embody the threshold between the classical training that Rockefeller Center’s artists and architects underwent prior to the Great Depression and their adaptation of progressive ideas expressed in the soaring skyscrapers of the complex in the 1930s. This mix is fundamental to design and artwork of the Art Deco era.

Sculpture can be found on almost all of the twelve original buildings in the complex. Through it we can start to understand some of the major themes and techniques the project’s designers and artists employed in establishing the success of the Center as an urban experience. An integral component of pre-war architecture, the use of architectural sculpture changed radically from its exuberant application in the 1925 Paris Exposition both before and especially after the Great Depression. New ways of conceiving architectural sculpture did much to enhance the exciting urban experience at Rockefeller Center.

With a nod to Valerie Clarebout’s angels to acknowledge the holiday season, we’ll learn about the strategies Rockefeller Center’s architects used for integrating sculpture into the fabric of the complex: classic techniques to frame Rene Paul Chambellan’s Fountainhead Figures in perspective; integrate Lee Lawrie’s The Story of Mankind into the limestone surface of the International Building; juxtapose Isamu Noguchi’s News against the flat planes of Rockefeller Plaza. Yet they also introduced the rhythm, stylization and experimentation of Jazz Age design: the staccato patterns of Lawrie’s Wisdom; the stylization of Hildreth Meiere’s Dance, Drama, and Song; the experimental materials in Attilio Piccirilli’s Youth Leading Industry. “New Frontiers” at Rockefeller Center helps us understand the hybrid world of Art Deco design at its most impactful.

Can't join at the time of the live Zoom event ? No problem! Those who register will receive a recording of the entire program a few days after the live presentation. When you sign up for the program you have the opportunity to watch, or rewatch, the recording at a time more convenient for you.

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