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Quiz about NYC Sculpture Tour
Quiz about NYC Sculpture Tour

NYC Sculpture Tour Trivia Quiz


New York City statues are tired of "that green girl" getting all the glory. How much do you know about Gotham's other publicly-viewable statuary?

A multiple-choice quiz by havan_ironoak. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
398,087
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
113
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Question 1 of 10
1. The first statue on our tour is the 7,100-pound Wall Street Bull by Sicilian artist Arturo Di Modica. It was NOT commissioned by the NYSE. The artist covertly "gifted" it to them on December 15, 1989, placing it in the middle of Broad Street in front of the New York Stock Exchange under their 60 foot Christmas tree. It was promptly removed. Where is it now? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Our next sculpture is by German sculptor Fritz Koenig. "Sphere at Plaza Fountain" was created to be the centerpiece of Tobin Plaza between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Obviously, it's not there anymore. Where must I go to see it? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The next piece on our tour is more whimsical. Bernard (Tony) Rosenthal's 8 foot cube-shaped sculpture "The Alamo" is a large, black, cubic sculpture that is perched on its corner and may be turned by determined pedestrians. Where in NYC is it located?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Our next stop is the statue honoring Mohandas Gandhi. San Francisco, London, Honolulu, Hawaii, Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil, even Pietermaritzburg, South Africa all have statues honoring Mohandas Gandhi, "The Great Soul." Could New York do any less? Where is Kantilal B. Patel's NYC sculpture of him? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Our next sculpture is by Swedish Sculptor Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd and is entitled "Non-Violence", although more commonly it's called "The Knotted Gun". It depicts a .357 magnum revolver with its barrel knotted into a twist. Where in NYC might we find this "not so concealed" weapon? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. One of my favorite NYC sculptures began as a pop art image by American artist Robert Indiana. Though the original sculpture is on display at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, New York City's copy normally stands on 55th Street and Sixth Avenue but on our 2019 tour we encounter an empty area surrounded by hoardings. What song title might a music lover use to ask about this missing art? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Our next statue might be the most famous public statues in NYC (next to "that Green Gal"). Prometheus is a gilded, cast bronze sculpture by Paul Manship that was installed in 1934. It appears regularly on morning television and at least yearly at a Christmas tree lighting. Where might one find this Greek Titan that gave fire to man? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Fernando Botero created two enormous sculptures, one of Adam and one of Eve. These are on public display in NYC but some of the more prudish think that they should be banished elsewhere. Only TIME will tell. Where might one find them? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The next statue on our tour is of Balto, an heroic sled dog who in 1925 helped save the settlement of Nome, Alaska. Where in NYC might we find the statue of this canine hero? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Emma Stebbins "Angel of the Waters" was commissioned by Frederick Law Olmsted as a tribute to the Union Naval War Dead. Where in NYC might one find the American Angel? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The first statue on our tour is the 7,100-pound Wall Street Bull by Sicilian artist Arturo Di Modica. It was NOT commissioned by the NYSE. The artist covertly "gifted" it to them on December 15, 1989, placing it in the middle of Broad Street in front of the New York Stock Exchange under their 60 foot Christmas tree. It was promptly removed. Where is it now?

Answer: The northern tip of Bowling Green Park

It actually was moved to an impound lot for a time. It wasn't installed at its latest venue until Di Modica agreed to pay the storage fees for the impound lot. The bull has now been joined by another statue, Kristen Visbal's "Fearless Girl,". She was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors and was placed on March 7, 2017 so that she's continually staring down the bull. Fittingly, Di Modica wants to see her removed.
2. Our next sculpture is by German sculptor Fritz Koenig. "Sphere at Plaza Fountain" was created to be the centerpiece of Tobin Plaza between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Obviously, it's not there anymore. Where must I go to see it?

Answer: Liberty Park overlooking the World Trade Center site

Following the 9/11 attack, the damaged but mostly intact sculpture was salvaged and relocated with Koenig's blessing to Battery Park. Although the sculptor died in February 2017, the sculpture, battered but unbowed, was re-located and re-dedicated on August 16, 2017 by the Port Authority at a permanent location in Liberty Park, overlooking the September 11 Memorial and its original location.

All told, an estimated $110 million of art was lost in the September 11 attacks. Two of the more famous pieces were "Bent Propeller" by Alexander Calder, and "The World Trade Center Tapestry" by Joan Miró and Josep Royo.
3. The next piece on our tour is more whimsical. Bernard (Tony) Rosenthal's 8 foot cube-shaped sculpture "The Alamo" is a large, black, cubic sculpture that is perched on its corner and may be turned by determined pedestrians. Where in NYC is it located?

Answer: Astor Place in the East Village

The sculpture was installed in 1967 as one of 25 temporary art installations that were intended to remain for a six-month period. Unlike most of the others, this one remains. An identical work named "Endover" stands on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Rosenthal earned a bachelor of fine arts degree. Over the years the sculpture has suffered the indignities of being made to look like a Rubik's Cube and a "Not Really Flat" Earth.

The cube is made of Cor-Ten steel and weighs about 1,800 pounds (820 kg).
4. Our next stop is the statue honoring Mohandas Gandhi. San Francisco, London, Honolulu, Hawaii, Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil, even Pietermaritzburg, South Africa all have statues honoring Mohandas Gandhi, "The Great Soul." Could New York do any less? Where is Kantilal B. Patel's NYC sculpture of him?

Answer: SW corner of Union Square Park

"Mohandas Gandhi" is an outdoor bronze sculpture depicting Mahatma Gandhi by Kantilal B. Patel, located at Union Square in Manhattan, New York. The statue was dedicated on October 2, 1986 (the 117th anniversary of Gandhi's birth) by openly gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin.

As with so much in the city, there was local controversy, in this case that other statues in the area were all of American figures. The Gandhi Memorial International Foundation quelled opposition by offering to maintain other statues in the area as well as their own.
5. Our next sculpture is by Swedish Sculptor Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd and is entitled "Non-Violence", although more commonly it's called "The Knotted Gun". It depicts a .357 magnum revolver with its barrel knotted into a twist. Where in NYC might we find this "not so concealed" weapon?

Answer: Outside the United Nations Building

Reuterswärd's creation was inspired in part by the shooting of John Lennon. It was a gift to the UN by the government of Luxembourg and is on permanent display outside the UN on the east side of First Avenue at 45th Street. There are currently 31 copies of the sculpture around the world.

The artist is also working with Humanium Metal, and has issued a limited edition of 150 pieces for sale to individuals to fund the Non-Violence Initiative.
6. One of my favorite NYC sculptures began as a pop art image by American artist Robert Indiana. Though the original sculpture is on display at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, New York City's copy normally stands on 55th Street and Sixth Avenue but on our 2019 tour we encounter an empty area surrounded by hoardings. What song title might a music lover use to ask about this missing art?

Answer: Where is the Love?

While Robert Indiana's original sculpture was made in 1970. It has appeared in many forms. It's earliest incarnation was as a Christmas card in 1954. Versions of the sculpture now exist in Hebrew, Chinese, Italian and Spanish, as well as the original English. The image also was issued as a 1973 U.S. Postage stamp.

In May of 2019 the sculpture was "temporarily" removed for cleaning and refurbishing leaving just the hoardings that I saw on my last trip. While LOVE is gone for a while, you can walk three blocks to 53rd and Seventh, where you'll find HOPE.

No "word" on how long the sculpture will be gone or when it will be back.
7. Our next statue might be the most famous public statues in NYC (next to "that Green Gal"). Prometheus is a gilded, cast bronze sculpture by Paul Manship that was installed in 1934. It appears regularly on morning television and at least yearly at a Christmas tree lighting. Where might one find this Greek Titan that gave fire to man?

Answer: Rockefeller Center near the ice rink

Given it's location in Rockefeller Center, it makes frequent appearances on NBC programs which originate there. The model for Prometheus was Leonardo Nole (c. 1907-1998), an Italian-American lifeguard from New Rochelle. The statue is 18 ft (5.5 m) tall and weighs 8 tons
8. Fernando Botero created two enormous sculptures, one of Adam and one of Eve. These are on public display in NYC but some of the more prudish think that they should be banished elsewhere. Only TIME will tell. Where might one find them?

Answer: Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle

Fernando Botero is known for his husky, curvaceous figures. The pair tower over visitors at twelve feet tall. While Eve is there too, it's the male figure that gets the most attention (and causes the controversy) as passersby keep touching the male protuberance giving it a notorious golden sheen.
9. The next statue on our tour is of Balto, an heroic sled dog who in 1925 helped save the settlement of Nome, Alaska. Where in NYC might we find the statue of this canine hero?

Answer: Central Park just north of the Children's Zoo

In 1925 Nome, Alaska was stricken with a horrific diphtheria outbreak. Not enough antitoxin was available to treat all the sick until teams of mushers and sled dogs battled a blinding blizzard and traveled 674 miles to deliver the medicine. Balto, a husky, was one of the heroic lead dogs.

The route is roughly the same as that used in the yearly Iditarod, though the race is not officially a commemoration of that event as many believe.
10. Emma Stebbins "Angel of the Waters" was commissioned by Frederick Law Olmsted as a tribute to the Union Naval War Dead. Where in NYC might one find the American Angel?

Answer: Atop Bethesda Fountain in Central Park

It was cast in Munich and officially dedicated on May 31, 1873. Emma Stebbins was a lesbian sculptor and this is the earliest public artwork by a woman anywhere in NYC. It features prominently in the TV version of Tony Kushner's AIDS-themed play "Angels in America."
Source: Author havan_ironoak

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
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