: To celebrate the holiday season, The UBS Art Gallery in midtown
Manhattan will present a special exhibition honoring the rich
artistry and design tradition of the classic American carousel.
On view from December 14 to January 3 at The UBS Art Gallery,
"Carousel Art from the Charlotte Dinger Collection" will feature
antique carousel animals created between 1890 and 1920.
There will be more than 40 examples of fanciful and fierce
carousel art from nine leading American companies. The animals on
view are ornamented with exquisitely carved flowers, orange
bridles and saddles, as well as being decorated with myriad of
bright colors, etched mirrors and sparkling jewels. In addition
to traditional standing, prancing and jumping horses, exhibition
highlights will include horses almost fully covered in medieval
body armor, a graceful zebra, a snarling tiger, a sleekly carved
and bejeweled greyhound and a towering giraffe.
The exhibition will present spectacular examples of two leading
styles of carousel art that developed in the late Nineteenth
Century.
The Philadelphia Style featured realistic, classically elegant
animals that were richly decorated but relatively austere,
reflecting the conservative tastes of turn-of-the-century
Philadelphia. A Philadelphia Style highlight of the exhibition
will be a 1910 tiger designed by the Dentzel Company, which was
founded by Gustave Dentzel, the German-born pioneer of the
American carousel industry. Another prime example of Philadelphia
Style carousel art in the show will be an armored horse, created
by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1950, which features gold
and silver medieval armor and a detailed carving of a knight's
helmet on the saddle.
In contrast to the Philadelphia Style, the heavily jeweled,
gilded and lavishly decorated animals of the Coney Island Style
were flamboyant creatures. Echoing the energy and liveliness of
the most celebrated amusement center in the country, Coney Island
Style carousel animals were designed to attract and dazzle the
senses. Horses designed by the Carmel workshop and repainted and
redecorated by M.D. Borelli, called the Carmel-Borelli style,
were often posed dramatically but tempered with gentle
expressions, such as a 1915 jumping horse that is patriotically
adorned with an eagle and American flag details.
The UBS Art Gallery is in the UBS Building at 1285 Avenue of
the Americas. The gallery is on the ground floor of the building
and exhibition hours are Monday through Friday, 8 am until 6 pm.
Admission is free. For information, 212-713-2855 or visit
www.ubs.com.
