Tanmay 
Moving your antiques and fine art?
Here are some of our favorite
heirlooms of historical New York City
- Mark Rothko, Untitled (The Subway), 1937. This painting is part of Rothko’s 1930s Subway Series, completed after the first line of New York City’s Independent Subway System (IND) opened in 1932. The Subway paintings capture Rothko’s love-hate relationship with urban life and have since found a home in the Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld collection.
- Throckmorton Fine Art (145 E 57th St, New York): If you’re into Latin American art and photography, this is a can’t-miss spot on East 57th Street. It also features a notable collection of vintage Frida Kahlo photographs.
- Rhythm and Blues Revue (1955) Here’s your backstage pass to a 1955 musical variety show filmed at the iconic Apollo Theatre in Harlem.The mid-1950s were pivotal years in music, and this revue—with a lineup featuring Willie Bryant, Freddie Robinson, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, and Nat ‘King’ Cole—captures the beginning of the jazz-to-rock-and-roll pipeline.
- Frick Collection (1 E 70th St, New York): This intimate, antique museum in the Upper East Side of Manhattan was the former mansion of Henry Clay Frick. The space is as impressive as the masterpieces it holds within. With no barriers between you and the art, you can fully immerse yourself in each collection.
- Hauser & Wirth New York (542 W 22nd St, New York): Hauser & Wirth’s first American gallery was purpose-built in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The most recent addition, located in the West Chelsea Arts District, was designed by world-renowned architect Annabelle Selldorf and offers a far more immersive experience than your typical gallery.
- Berenice Abbott, New York at Night, ca. 1933. Berenice Abbott was best known for her portraits of New York City, which she viewed as art itself. New York at Night—one of the many photographs from a project recording New York’s 1920s building boom—is a birds-eye view of the West Side looking north.
- Sotheby’s New York (1334 York Ave, New York): As the world’s largest broker of fine and decorative art, Sotheby’s Upper East Side headquarters opens six floors of gallery space to both art collectors and the public.
- Andy Warhol and John Palmer, Empire, 1965. Empire, a black-and-white silent art film by Andy Warhol, was shot from the 44th floor of the Time-Life Building. The film features eight hours and five minutes of slow-motion footage of the Empire State Building from a fixed perspective. Warhol sought to compare the cinematic experience to a statement on the passage of time. Empire is distributed by the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) Circulating Film and Video Library.
- Theresa Bernstein, The Lunch Counter at S. Klein’s in Union Square in the 1930s, ca. 1930–39. Theresa Bernstein’s watercolor portrays the racially integrated lunch counter at S. Klein’s, a beloved New York City department store. For 65 years, S. Klein’s, located by Union Square, was a magnet for bargain hunters. According to an archival New York Times article, the Manhattan store (and others in Flushing, Queens, and Lake Success, Long Island) closed their doors in 1974 due to declining sales.
- Jane Dickson, Hotel Girl, 1983. Jane Dickson’s Hotel Girl captures the duality of Times Square in the early ’80s—both its gritty underbelly and glamor. In 1981, Jane and her husband Charlie Ahearn moved into a loft overlooking Times Square. While working on the first-ever Spectacolor billboard, Jane painted a series of works, including Hotel Girl, during the period when Times Square was as notorious as it was iconic.
- Agora Gallery (530 W 25th St, New York): Located in Chelsea, Agora Gallery is a contemporary art space and “vanity gallery” dedicated to promoting both national and international artists. Currently on display is “On View”, an exhibition featuring the works of six female abstract artists.
- Ilse Bing, New York, the Elevated, and Me, 1936. In 1936, German-Jewish photographer Ilse Bing was invited to solo-exhibit her work at the June Rhodes Gallery. During her two-month stay in New York City, she photographed the resilience and growth of the city in the post-Depression era. One of her standout images, New York, the Elevated, and Me, captures the Manhattan skyline from an elevated train station, framing the Chrysler Building.
- Peter Lik Fine Art Gallery (10 Columbus Cir, New York): If you’re into record-breakers, you’ll want to stop by here. Peter Lik’s “Phantom,” shot in Arizona’s Antelope Canyon, holds the title of the most expensive photograph ever sold in 2014 at $6.5 million. The gallery is tucked away in the Shops at Columbus Circle, so after admiring the landscape photography, you can head downstairs for some luxury shopping or dining.
- American music, from folk to jazz and pop This 1967 video takes you on a journey through the evolution of American music, where genres like jazz, swing, blues, and country came together over the years to create the catchy melodies we now call pop music. Guiding us through this journey is the legendary Duke Ellington, a pioneer of big-band jazz in New York City who led his band for over fifty years and elevated jazz to an art form. You’ll get a tour of the retro New York City jazz scene– places like the Village Vanguard and 52nd street.
- Jim Kempner Fine Art (501 W 23rd St, New York): Jim Kempner has been a prominent New York art dealer since 1987. His Chelsea gallery spans three levels and showcases a range of mediums, including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and most recently, string installations by Manuel Knapp.
- Diego Rivera, Frozen Assets, 1931. After arriving in New York City from Mexico City in 1931, Diego Rivera became fascinated by Manhattan’s distinctive vertical architecture. Frozen Assets, which was created for the Museum of Modern Art, is divided into three sections: the skyline, the Municipal Pier on 25th Street, and a Wall Street bank vault. It was a critique of the city’s economic stratification during the Great Depression.
- Mary Heilmann, Chinatown, 1976. Mary Heilmann’s Chinatown reflects her early experimentation with color theory and her integration into the New York art scene. After moving to New York City in 1968, the sculptor resided in a Chinatown loft and was deeply influenced by Josef Albers, considered one of the most influential 20th-century art educators in the United States.
- Unknown Aerials and Sardi’s Restaurant, New York City (1920s-1930s) This collection of black-and-white aerial footage captures New York City and its surroundings from the 1920s and 1930s.Starting at 1:51, you’ll spot Sardi’s Restaurant, which is still operating today with its classic facade intact. Sardi’s, which opened on March 5, 1927, has been a staple of New York’s dining scene, renowned for its walls lined with caricatures of movie stars. The idea for these caricatures came when owner Vincent Sardi, seeking a way to draw in customers during a slow period, was inspired by the caricatures at Joe Zelli’s, a Parisian restaurant and jazz club.
- New York Calling “New York Calling” is a 1942 travelogue sponsored by the New York Central Railroad, aiming to reignite the excitement of train travel. In the film, see for yourself how some of New York’s iconic attractions—like Coney Island, Times Square, and Rockefeller Center—have barely changed. Plus, the travelogue promotes a tour of NBC and Radio City Music Hall, then the world’s largest indoor theater, which had recently become home to the world-renowned Rockettes.
- William Chappel, Manhattan, ca. 1808. Travel back to early 19th-century New York; an era when streets and sidewalks were lit up by whale oil and lamp lights each night. This oil painting series is by William Chappel, a tinsmith and amateur painter who lived at 165 Bowery.
- The National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Pk S, New York): This members-only club in Gramercy Park was founded to enrich the American public’s appreciation of fine arts. Located in the Samuel J. Tilden House, the space has over 700 artworks on permanent display. The opulent brownstone and Victorian-era decor are a fitting backdrop for the many art and cultural events that take place here.
- Skyscrapers of New York City, from the North River (1903) Soar over Manhattan as it looked in 1903 with this panoramic short film. Directed by J.B. Smith, with cinematography by Blair Smith, this cinematic time capsule has an almost eerie feel due to its lack of human presence—save for a few silhouettes on a boat drifting by. If you know New York City well, you’ll love spotting the changes from then to now.
- The Met Cloisters (1 E 70th St, New York): If medieval art is your thing (or even if it’s not), the Met Cloisters is a magical experience complete with a medicinal garden and Hudson River views. Located in Fort Tryon Park, it feels like stepping into a gothic castle.
- New York City (1911) Witness New York City on the brink of modernity: a population nearing five million, skyscrapers transforming the skyline, and a mix of automobiles, trolleys, horse-drawn carriages, and busy pedestrians. Just before World War I, this was a time when everyday dress meant suits and top hats for the men, and corsets with centered busks for the women. As women weren’t tasked with running errands, their presence in this footage signals a leisurely outing.
- David Zwirner (34 E 69th St, New York): With locations in Chelsea and the Upper East Side, David Zwirner’s galleries are among the most respected for contemporary art. They display everything from video installations to sculptures. Fun fact: Sasha Gordon recently became the gallery’s youngest artist on-roster at just 26 years old.
