: - To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Central Park, the
New-York Historical Society is exhibiting a selection of about 50
of its 431 original watercolors by John James Audubon (1785-1851)
preparatory for his sumptuous, double-elephant folio print
edition of The Birds of America, 1827-38.
The installation features birds that frequent Central Park, one
of the most important natural bird sanctuaries in North America.
Central Park is one of the world's great migratory way stations
with more than 200 species passing through. According to an
annotated checklist compiled by the Birdwatchers of Central Park
for the Central Park Conservancy, The Birds of Central
Park, 1996 and 2001, there are 24 year-round resident
species.
Audubon's spectacular watercolors depict year-round residents of
Central Park and migratory denizens, as well as several rare
species. (The exhibition labels will use Audubon's nomenclature.
Due to developments in ornithology and taxonomy changes, some of
the birds that Audubon depicted, while having similar names to
birds inhabiting Central Park, may not be the identical avian
species). In these dazzling drawings Audubon's innovations in the
fields of art and natural history are apparent. He not only
rendered the birds life-size, but also captured their lively
interactions, sometimes with anthropomorphic characteristics, in
cutting-edge, experimental mixed media.
In 1863 the historical society purchased this rare trove of
watercolors, deemed by some a national treasure, directly by
subscription from the famed naturalist's widow, Lucy Bakewell
Audubon (1787-1874). Among the highlights of the society's
collections, they are normally showcased four to six at a time in
quarterly annual migrations in the society's Henry Luce III
Center for the Study of American Culture in the "Audubon Niche."
But on this occasion about 50 will be installed in the Luman Reed
Gallery in honor of Central Park, Frederick Law Olmstead's and
Calvin Vaux's "natural" Manhattan oasis for birds and humans,
whether residents or migrants.
The New-York Historical Society is at 2 West 77th Street at
Central Park West. For information, call 212-873-3400 or visit
www.nyhistory.org.
