While on our way to Vermont, we made a stop in Albany where we spent the night with my cousin and his family. Naturally we also squeezed in a few sites while we were there.
The cover photo is of Albany taken from the Corning Tower Observation Deck, located on the 42nd floor of the pictured tower in the Empire State Plaza. The tower, which has a total 44 floors, is the tallest building in the state outside of New York City. In front of the tower is The Egg, a performing arts venue built between 1966 and 1978
Troy is about 6 miles northeast of Albany (that’s “around,” right?), but it’s got a pretty cool Tiffany stained glass piece behind the circulation desk at the Troy Public Library. The staff was excited to show it to us, turning out the lights so it would properly glow. A staff member also excitedly gave us the backstory, so it was a fun visit. It depicts Venetian master printer Aldus Manutius (1450 – 1515), whose efforts led to widespread circulation of inexpensive books.
Art in the Concourse
La Seine, 1967, Joan Mitchell. This painting is nearly 6 feet tall by 14 feet wide. I’m sure you can tell this is an abstract impression of a French landscape, overlooking the Seine River.
1964 (PH-558), 1964, Clyfford Still. We were excited to find a Still “in the wild,” after visiting his museum in Denver where nearly all of his output resides. Another huge painting, more than 9 feet tall and 14 feet wide.
In the 1960s, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller started a state art collection, which now has 92 works of modern art. The collection features artists who practiced in New York during the 1960s and 70s. The works are displayed in freely accessible public areas in the Empire State Plaza. You can walk along the underground concourse and see pieces by some very well-known artists, all while sipping a coffee or eating your lunch.
Grand Spectra, 1968, Richard Anuskiewicz. Anuskiewicz was the founder of the art movement known as Optical Art, or “Op” Art.
Number 12, 1952, Jackson Pollock. This was a gift from Governor Rockefeller after it was rescued from a fire in the Executive Mansion.
Charcoal Black and Tan, 1959, Franz Kline. Kline was a leader in the American Abstract Expressionist movement.
New York State Museum
Papa Burger and Doug, both circa 1963. Papa B had been a mascot for the A&W Root Beer chain. Doug was only too happy to pose with a burger and (root) beer.
Jacques Cartier’s Discovery of the St. Lawrence Valley, 1957, Thomas Hart Benton. These were commissioned by the New York Power Authority for the state’s first hydropower facility. The murals depict the 16th-century encounter between the Iroquois and the French explorer Jacques Cartier. “Benton wished to honor both the Indigenous peoples and the explorers in these paintings, depicting a fertile and inhabited land about to be changed forever.”
The New York State Museum, located in the Empire State Plaza, is a small, rambling museum, hopping from minerals of New York over here to Birds of New York over there to art, historic vehicles, a carousel, and more. We took a quick spin through, mostly drawn in by a Thomas Hart Benton “exhibition” that turned out to be just two paintings. Though the museum was relatively underwhelming, we both really enjoyed the Margery Ryerson exhibit.
1931 Pierce-Arrow Type 43, a seven-passenger sedan manufactured in Buffalo, New York. It cost $3k at the time (about $62k today). The company, founded in 1903, focused on high-end luxury cars, and refused to produce a lower-end car. This led to their demise during the Great Depression, and the closed down in 1938.
This full-sized carousel featuring hand-carved animals was made by the Herschell-Spillman Company in North Tonawanda. It was purchased by the Stadel Brother’s Amusement co. in 1915 for $7,000 (about $220,000 today). They transported it by train to various fairs around southern New York and northern Pennsylvania. In 1933 it began a new life at the Olivecrest Park in Cuba, New York, where it remained in service until 1972, after which it came to the museum. It is fully operational and offers free rides throughout the day.
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