It’s sometimes almost incredible to think about the sheer volume of artistic talent that has been located in our neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. It’s perhaps even more overwhelming when multiple artists were present within one building over the span of just a few short years. Such was the case at […]
Village Preservation has been diligently documenting the rich history of visual artists who lived and worked within our proposed South of Union Square Historic District. Many of the globally significant artistic groups and institutions of the 19th and 20th centuries were formed there, and it’s where the New York School of artists and American Abstract […]
The painter Alfred Mira (1900 – 1981) was born into an Italian immigrant family and grew up Greenwich Village. His father worked as a carpenter, but young Mira had dreams of becoming an artist. His family couldn’t afford the 50 cent daily tuition for art school, so Mira took a job at an interior decorator […]
This special two-part series explores Ai Weiwei’s experiences in two different East Villages — one in New York and the other in Beijing — both of which were hubs of artistic experimentation and influence. In the first installment, we will delve into Ai Weiwei’s formative years in New York, where he developed both his career […]
Art Smith was an influential American jewelry designer who gained popularity in the mid-20th century for his bold and abstract designs. At his studio in Greenwich Village, Smith created unique theatrical pieces, inspired by surrealism and biomorphism. His jewelry was meant for everyday wear, designed to be comfortable enough for daily use but suitably eye-catching […]
Many artists have been inspired by the scenes of life in New York City, particularly Lower Manhattan. But perhaps no artist captures the feeling of New York during the hot, heavy days of August like the painter John Sloan. Sloan was one of the leading figures of the “Ashcan School” of artists of the early 20th […]
You don’t need a map to know that the East Village has long been a haven for artists. But it can certainly help illuminate the spots in our neighborhood with legendary artistic pasts. GVSHP’s new online tool East Village Building Blocks contains information about every building in the East Village, many of which were the studios […]
There’s no lack of artists deeply associated with New York. But among the many painters who’ve been inspired by our city, perhaps none has had a more enduring and deeper relationship than Edward Hopper, particularly with Greenwich Village. Hopper lived and worked in Greenwich Village during nearly his entire adult life, and drew much inspiration from […]
