modusoptimus

The Chrysler Building was designed by architect Van Allen on the orders of the automobile magnate Walter Chrysler. When it opened (in 1930), it was the tallest building in New York, but it was detronated just one year later by the Empire State Building. The smokestacks in the background are part of the Ravenswood power plant. They remind me of the movie Conspiracy Theory with Mel Gibson.
The New Yorker Hotel was inaugurated in the same year. This photo was taken from the top of the Empire State Building which casts its shadow over the city.

Today is the 20th anniversary of death of Andy Warhol. I am not going to write his biography, but in the 60s he started to paint famous American products such as Campbell’s Soup Cans or Coca-Cola. In declaring that he wanted to be “a machine”, and in minimizing the role of his own creative insight in the production of his work, Warhol sparked a revolution in art – his work quickly became very controversial, and popular.

What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it.

So here is my tribute to Andy Warhol: a picture of Campbell’s tomato and chicken noodle soup (I am not pretending my picture is art, it is just that you can find these at every corner). Next are Andy’s original Campbell’s soup cans and Gold Marilyn Monroe.

The other pictures are taken at the Museum of Modern Arts in New York City: OOF by Edward Ruscha and Five feet of Colorful Tools by Jim Dine.

Having one of the biggest Asian communities in the US, New York City celebrated today the beginning of the Lunar New Year. Lion, Dragon and Unicorn dance troupes march down the main streets of Chinatown to help ring in the New Year. People celebrate in the streets and firecrackers scare away evil spirits.

The skyscraper museum, now located in a permanent gallery in Battery Park City, inhabited four temporary spaces from 1997 to 2003. The museum has an exhibit on the construction and history of the World Trade Center and on the different designs of the Freedom Tower. Almost every surface in this museum is mirrored, giving the space an expansive feel. In reality, it is quite small. The interior was designed by Roger Duffy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

The 3rd picture is an old pier on the frozen Hudson river. This is the first time since I came to New York that I have seen this huge river freeze.

Chelsea Piers is New York’s biggest sports complex. It is located between 17th and 23rd Streets along Hudson River.

This is a remake of a panorama that I created last year. For those interested on how this was done, go here.

The artwork in Prince Street subway station is made by Janet Zweig and is called “Carrying On”. According to the author, the title has three meanings: people on the streets of New York are almost always carrying something; after the 9/11 tragedy in New York, New Yorkers felt that they must carry on with their lives; finally, New Yorkers are notoriously opinionated and lively; they really do “carry on.”

Chelsea market is bounded by 9th and 11th Avenues and 15th to 16th Street on the grounds of the former Nabisco (National Biscuit) factory. In the 90s, its interior was completely redesigned becoming an “industrial amusement park”: the floors and ceilings of the old factory are still there, the hall is a jumble of disused ducts, an artificial waterfall and the original train shed.

Javitz Convention Center was designed by I.M Pei. It opened in 1986 and it was named after the New York State senator Jacob K. Javitz who died that year. The structure is a steel frame fitted with clear glass. It is bounded by West 34th St and West 29th St between 11th and 12th Av in Manhattan.

Below a distorted view of Empire State Building reflected in the convention center. A little bit further south (toward 24th St) a freshly finished building.

All pictures are posted in New York 2007 gallery (previous year gallery is now closed).

The first 2007 gallery is a trip to Romania.