♪ >>> COMING UP ON "NYC ARTS" A VISIT TO POSTER HOUSE IN CHELSEA, WHICH HAS A COLLECTION OF MORE THAN 10,000 POSTERS SPANNING THE LATE 1800s TO THE PRESENT.

>> YOU JUST SEE AN IMAGE AND YOU UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF THE POSTER RIGHT AWAY.

IN FACT, THAT'S WHAT MAKES A GOOD EFFECTIVE POSTER.

IF A POSTER DOESN'T COMMUNICATE ITS PURPOSE TO YOU IN LESS THAN A SECOND, IT'S FAILED.

>>> I'LL LOOK AT THE EXHIBITION MORRIS HIRSCHFIELD REDISCOVERED.

>> WE WANT TO BRING HIM BACK IN THE CONTEXT OF HIS DISCOVERY IN THE '40s WHERE HE WAS EXHIBITED ALONGSIDE SURREALISTS.

>> WE'LL MEET FLORENCE LEWIS MILLER WHOSE POPUP FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS CONTINUE TO BRIGHTEN UP NEW YORK.

>> THEY ARE FOR THE PEOPLE.

I WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE THEM AND INTERACT WITH THEM.

OBVIOUSLY TAKE A PICTURE, BUT TAKE A BLOSSOM HOME.

THE MORE WE CAN HAVE THESE SOFT MOMENTS OF BEAUTY AND JOY FOR NO OTHER REASON EVEN IF IT'S FOR AN HOUR OR TEN MINUTES, THIS JOB IS DONE.

>>> FUNDING FOR NYC-ARTS IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION, THEA PETSCHEK IERVOLINO FOUNDATION, JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD, THE LEWIS SONNY TURNER FUND FOR DANCE, ELISE JAFFE AND JEFFREY BROWN, CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER, THE MILTON AND SALLY AVERY ARTS FOUNDATION, THE NANCY SIDEWATER FOUNDATION, ELROY AND TERRY KRUMHOLZ FOUNDATION AND ELLEN AND JAMES S. MARCUS.

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED, IN PART, BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY MEMBERS OF THIRTEEN.

NYC-ARTS IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY FIRST REPUBLIC BANK >>> FIRST REPUBLIC BANK PRESENTS 'FIRST THINGS FIRST.'

AT FIRST REPUBLIC BANK, FIRST REFERS TO OUR FIRST PRIORITY.

THE CLIENTS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS.

THE FIRST STEP?

RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY CLIENT IS AN INDIVIDUAL WITH UNIQUE NEEDS.

FIRST DECREE.

BE A BANK WHOSE CURRENCY IS SERVICE IN THE FORM OF PERSONAL BANKING.

THIS WAS FIRST REPUBLIC'S MISSION FROM OUR VERY FIRST DAY.

IT'S STILL THE FIRST THING ON OUR MINDS.

>> AND BY SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.

SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.

WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT AUCTIONS, OFFERING VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ART SINCE 1941.

WORKING TO COMBINE KNOWLEDGE WITH ACCESSIBILITY, WHETHER YOU ARE A LIFELONG COLLECTOR OR A FIRST-TIME BUYER, OR LOOKING TO SELL.

INFORMATION AT SWANN GALLERIES DOT COM.

♪ >>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO NYC ARTS.

I'M PAULA ZAHN ON LOCATION AT THE BARTOW-PELL MANSION MUSEUM IN THE BRONX.

JUST TEN MILES FROM MANHATTAN.

AS THE ONLY GRAND 19th CENTURY COUNTRY HOUSE IN EXISTENCE OVERLOOKING THE BAY, THE MUSEUM PROVIDES AN IMPORTANT LINK TO THE SOCIAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK CITY.

VISITORS CAN TAKE GUIDED TOURS OF THE MANSION, THE COURAGE HOUSE, VIEW THE COLLECTION OF FURNISHINGS, FINE AND DECORATIVE ARTS AND STROLL THE GROUNDS AND FORMAL GARDENS.

THE OWNERSHIP OF THE PROPERTY CAN BE TRACED BACK TO 1654 WHEN THOMAS PELL, AN ENGLISH PHYSICIAN FROM CONNECTICUT, PURCHASED 50,000 ACRES FROM THE NATIVE PEOPLE AT THE URGING OF THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT.

THE PELL TREATY, AS IT CAME TO BE KNOWN, INCLUDED THE PRESENT DAY TOWN OF PELHAM AND MUCH OF SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

FOUR GENERATIONS LIVED HERE UNTIL THE PROPERTY WAS DIVIDED AFTER THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.

THIS IS AN INTERPRETATION OF THE FAMILY THAT LIVED IN THE HOUSE FROM 1842 TO 1888.

ROBERT BARTOW, HIS WIFE MARIA BARTOW AND THEIR SEVEN CHILDREN.

THEY LIVED HERE FOR 50 YEARS UNTIL THE BARTOWS' CHILDREN SOLD THE ESTATE TO THE CITY OF NEW YORK.

IT HAS SINCE BECOME BOTH A NEW YORK CITY LANDMARK AND A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK.

THIS ROOM, CALLED THE DOUBLE PARLORS, WAS LIKELY A FOCAL POINT OF THE FAMILY HOME.

TYPICAL OF THE GREEK REVIVAL STYLE, THE PARLORS ARE MIRROR IMAGES, CREATING SYMMETRY AND HARMONY AS WELL AS PROVIDING A GRAND SPACE FOR FORMAL ENTERTAINING.

EACH ROOM FEATURES A DIFFERENT DECORATIVE MOTIF IN THE FINALLY CARVED WINDOW AND DOORS.

EAGLES, A PATRIOTIC SYMBOL OF AMERICAN UNITY AND STRENGTH, ADORN THE SOUTH PARLOR AND WINGED CHERUB HEADS GRACE THE NORTH PARLOR.

SLIDING MAHOGANY POCKET DOORS OFFER FLEXIBILITY, TRANSFORMING A LARGE SPACE INTO INDIVIDUAL ROOMS THAT ARE MORE INTIMATE AND OF COURSE MORE ECONOMICAL TO HEAT.

COUNTRY HOUSES WERE FAR FROM THE NETWORK OF GAS LINES THAT SERVED CITIES, TO RESIDENTS RELIED ON CANDLES AND OIL LAMPS LIKE THE ONES SEEN HERE AND THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE.

MIRRORS REFLECTED ADDITIONAL LIGHT, SETTING THE STAGE FOR SOCIAL ACTIVITIES IN THE EVENING.

ON OUR PROGRAM TONIGHT, WE'LL VISIT POSTER HOUSE, THE FIRST MUSEUM IN THE UNITED STATES DEVOTED SOLELY TO THE ART, HISTORY AND IMPACT OF THE MEDIUM.

LOCATED IN THE CHELSEA NEIGHBORHOOD OF NEW YORK, THE COLLECTION CONTAINS MORE THAN 10,000 POSTERS SPANNING THE LATE 1800s TO THE PRESENT DAY.

MORE THAN 100 COUNTRIES ARE REPRESENTED.

CURRENTLY ON VIEW ARE TWO SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS, MASKED VIGILANTES ON SILENT MOTORBIKES FEATURES THE WORK OF 20 ARTISTS, INCLUDING SEVERAL WHO ARE ACTIVE IN THE NEW YORK STREET ART SCENE.

THE EXHIBITION EXPLORES HOW POSTERS HAVE BEEN SYMBOLS OF CAPITALISM, BEAUTY STANDARDS AND PUBLIC DIALOGUE AND HAVE BECOME FAIR GAME FOR BOTH MANIPULATION AND CRITIQUE.

ONE TECHNIQUE INVOLVED ARTISTS TEARING LAYERS OFF POSTS ON THE STREET AND FLAMING THEM AS HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS.

THE ARTISTS THEN CHOOSE WHICH SECTIONS TO SHOW TO SEE ART IN A NEW CONTEXT.

ANOTHER APPROACH IS TO ADD BRUSH WORK AND TEXT WHICH GIVES NEW MEANING TO POSTERS WHICH WERE ORIGINALLY USED TO ADVERTISE SUPERMARKET SALES AND HIGH END FASHION.

IN OTHER INSTANCES, CROPPING OUT THE TEXT OF ADVERTISEMENTS ALMOST ENTIRELY CAN RENDER THE CONTENT BEING PROMOTED ALMOST INVISIBLE, TAKING AWAY THE ORIGINAL POWER OF THE MESSAGE.

AIR INDIAS MAHARAJA REPRESENTED THE GOLDEN AGE OF INDIAN TRAVEL ADVERTISING.

THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY THE FIGURE OF THE MAHARAJA, WHO BECAME A MASCOT FOR THE AIRLINE AND A FIGURE KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD.

THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES POSTERS FROM 1946 TO 1972.

THEY REFLECT A HYBRID STYLE, ECHOING INDIAN MINIATURE PAINTING AS WELL AS THE POSTERS OF TU LOOSE LA TREK.

THE DEBUT COINCIDED WITH INDIA'S BIRTH AS AN INDEPENDENT NATION FOLLOWING THE END OF BRITISH COLONIAL RULE.

AS THE ACTUAL WERE OUT OF THEIR POSITIONS THE INDIA AIR BECAME FAMOUS FOR BEING THE LEAST INHIBITED TRAVELER.

HE DEVELOPED A REPUTATION FOR DARING AND HUMOR AND ADOPTED DIFFERENT PERSONAS IN EVERY DESTINATION.

EVEN A HALF CENTURY LATER THE IMAGES CONTINUE TO CIRCULATE, EVOKING A RANGE OF EMOTIONS FROM DISDAIN TO NOSTALGIA.

BOTH EXHIBITIONS ARE ON VIEW THROUGH FEBRUARY 12th.

>> I'M ANGELINA LIPPERT, THE CHIEF CURATOR OF POSTER HOUSE, THE FIRST MUSEUM IN THE UNITED STATES DEDICATED TO THE ART AND HISTORY OF THE POSTER.

A POSTER IS A PUBLIC FACING NOTICE MEANT TO PERSUADE THAT MARRIES WORD AND IMAGE.

THIS BEGAN IN THE LATE 1860s WHEN THE FATHER OF THE POSTER PERFECTED THE COLOR LITHOGRAPHIC PROCESS SO POSTERS COULD BE MADE CHEAPLY AND QUICKLY USING THE FULL SPECTRUM OF THE RAINBOW.

BEFORE THIS POSTERS WERE TEXT BASED SO THEY WERE BROAD SIDES.

THAT REQUIRED YOU HAD TO BE LITERATE IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THEM.

POSTERS DO AWAY WITH THAT.

YOU JUST SEE AN IMAGE AND UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF THE POSTER RIGHT AWAY.

IN FACT, THAT'S WHAT MAKES A GOOD EFFECTIVE POSTER.

IF A POSTER DOESN'T COMMUNICATE ITS PURPOSE TO YOU IN LESS THAN A SECOND, IT'S FAILED.

POSTER HOUSE TYPICALLY HAS TWO OR THREE EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW AT ANY TIME IN ADDITION TO OUR PERMANENT POSTER HISTORY TIMELINE.

THE BEGINNING OF THIS TIMELINE STARTS WITH THE FATHER OF THE POSTER.

EVERY SINGLE COLOR MAKING UP THAT POSTER WOULD HAVE TO BE PRINTED SEPARATELY.

BY COMBINING COLORS, YOU GET THE FULL RAINBOW EFFECT IN ANY GIVEN POSTER.

THAT'S WHAT JULES INVENTED.

WHAT MAKES THIS POSTER SPECIAL IS IT'S ACTUALLY A PROGRESSIVE PROOF, WHICH IS REALLY RARE BECAUSE A PRINTER WOULD TYPICALLY ONLY MAKE ONE.

IT WAS A WAY FOR A PRINTER TO DETERMINE IF ALL THE DIFFERENT COLORS SEPARATED THAT LINE UP AND IF IT PRINTS CLEANLY.

HE DESIGNED THIS FOR A DEPARTMENT STORE.

HOWEVER, IT REJECTED IT .

WE DON'T KNOW WHY.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL IMAGE.

THE NEXT STOP ON THE POSTER HISTORY TIMELINE FOCUSES ON THE FATHER OF MODERN ADVERTISING.

ONE THING YOU'LL NOTICE IS THE BACKGROUND IS A FLAT SATURATED BLACK.

HE WAS THE FIRST POSTER DESIGNER WHO OFFSET A CENTRAL IMAGE WITH A SHARP FLAT SATURATED BACKGROUND.

HE PUTS A WOMAN IN A GREEN DRESS ON A RED HORSE.

WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH CHOCOLATE?

THIS POSTER IS FOR CHOCOLATE.

THAT WAS THE ENTIRE POINT.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE SEE A MASCOT BORN IN ADVERTISING.

IN FACT, PEOPLE WERE SO CAPTIVATED BY THIS BEAUTIFUL IMAGE THAT THEY WOULD GO TO THEIR LOCAL STORE AND INSTEAD OF ASKING FOR THE CHOCOLATE BY NAME, THEY WOULD INSTEAD SAY, CAN YOU GET ME THE LADY ON THE RED HORSE?

THAT'S HOW THAT BRAND BECAME MEMORABLE AND KNOWN THROUGHOUT PARIS.

NEXT UP IS CAMPARI.

THEY'RE CREATED LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF POSTERS.

ALL ARE STANDOUT.

THIS IS ITALIAN ART DECO.

YOU'LL GET ELEMENTS OF FUTURISM, OF CUBISM.

ALSO THE ITALIANS LOVED TO PLAY WITH SHADOW AND DEEP RICH COLORS.

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE POSTERS IN THE COLLECTION.

IT'S BY THE STEMBERG BROTHERS FOR THE FILM "THE LAST FLIGHT."

POSTER DESIGN IN RUSSIA AT THIS TIME UNDER LENIN WAS A HOT BED OF CREATIVITY.

THESE DESIGNERS RARELY SAW IMPORTED FILMS BEFORE CREATING POSTERS FOR THEM.

THEY WOULD JUST GET THE TITLE OR MAYBE A FILM STILL, VERY MINIMAL INFORMATION.

I ALSO OFTEN HAVE TO TELL PEOPLE THIS IS NOT PHOTO MONTAGE.

THE ABILITY TO INSERT A LARGE PHOTOGRAPH INTO POSTERS WAS NOT REALLY AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

INSTEAD WHAT THE STEMBERGS WOULD DO IS PROJECT A FILM STILL ONTO THE WALL OF THEIR STUDIO AND TRACE OVER THAT FIGURE.

ALSO, THIS STYLE OF ART WOULD BE MADE COMPLETELY ILLEGAL UNDER STALIN.

IT'S A SHORT, BEAUTIFUL, IMPORTANT PERIOD IN POSTER HISTORY.

AFTER THAT WE LOOK AT THE MID CENTURY POSTERS OF SWITZERLAND AND THE INTERNATIONAL TYPOGRAPHIC STYLE.

THESE ARE AMAZING BECAUSE YOU GET AN ARRAY OF PRINTING TECHNIQUES ALL IN ONE POSTER.

AFTER THAT, WE FOCUS ON PSYCHEDELIC POSTERS.

WE HAVE AMAZING EXAMPLES OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PSYCHEDELIC POSTER ARTISTS FROM 1966 TO 1970, AN INCREDIBLY SHORT, EXPLOSIVE PERIOD IN POSTER DESIGN.

ALL THESE POSTERS ADVERTISE VENUES FOR PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC AT THAT TIME, THE FILLMORE, THE AVLON AS WELL AS A TON OF BANDS YOU'LL KNOW LIKE BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY.

♪ AFTER THAT WE FOCUS ON PAULA SHER AND HER REMARKABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PUBLIC THEATER IN WHAT IS NOW ALMOST 30 YEARS OF ADVERTISING FOR ONE SINGLE INSTITUTION.

SHE HELPED REDEFINE HOW ADVERTISING WAS DONE IN NEW YORK, MAKING IT AS VIBRANT AND EXPLOSIVE AS THE THEATER ITSELF.

FOR THE PROCESS WE FOCUS ON AMOS PAUL KENNEDY JR., A FAVORITE DESIGNER OF MINE.

HE COMBINES A LAYERING TECHNIQUE THAT MAKES HIS POSTERS UNIQUE.

HE WORKS IN DETROIT, WHICH MEANS HE'S MAKING HIS LIVING MAKING POSTERS TODAY, WHICH IS AMAZING.

POSTER HOUSE IS STILL COLLECTING IMPORTANT POSTERS MADE TODAY.

WE ACTIVELY COLLECT POSTERS FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD, FROM ALL MAJOR AND MINOR AD AGENCIES.

PLEASE STOP BY AND SEE THEM.

♪ ♪ >>> ON OUR PROGRAM TONIGHT, WE'LL VISIT THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM FOR A LOOK AT MORRIS HIRSCHFIELD REDISCOVERED, THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE GATHERING OF THE WORK OF THIS SELF-TIGHT ARTIST.

THE EXHIBIT FEATURES OVER 40 OF THE NEARLY 80 PAINTINGS HE CREATED DURING HIS SHORT CAREER.

BORN IN POLAND IN 1872 TO A JEWISH FAMILY, HIRSCHFIELD IMMIGRATED TO THE U.S. AROUND 1890, SETTLED IN BROOKLYN AND HAD A CAREER AS A TAILOR AND DRESS MAKER AND LATER AS A SHOE DESIGNER.

IT WAS ONLY DURING THE LAST SEVEN YEARS OF HIS LIFE WHEN HE WAS IN HIS EARL 60s THAT HE BECAME A PAINTER.

HIRSCHFIELD'S HIGHLY STYLIZED PAINTINGS ACHIEVED INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION IN THE 1940s.

IN LESS THAN A DECADE, HIS WORK WAS EMBRACED BY THE SURREALISTS, COLLECTED BY PEGGY GUGGENHEIM AND DISPLAYED AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART WHERE HE WAS GIVEN A SOLO EXHIBITION IN 1943.

HIS WORK HAS SELDOM BEEN SEEN BY THE PUBLIC.

MORRIS HIRSCHFIELD REDISCOVERED REINTRODUCES THIS UNIQUE ARTIST TO CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCES.

CURATOR VALERIE RUSSO IS OUR GUIDE.

>> MORRIS HIRSCHFIELD HAD A VERY INCREDIBLE ARTISTIC AND LIFE TRAJECTORY STARTING AS A JEWISH IMMIGRANT, INVOLVED IN THE TEXTILE AND GARMENT INDUSTRY TO A SUCCESSFUL ARTISTIC CAREER.

HE PASSED AWAY IN 1946.

HE CREATED ABOUT 80 WORKS DURING HIS LIFETIME.

42 OF THESE WORKS ARE PART OF THE MORRIS HIRSCHFIELD REDISCOVERED EXHIBITION.

SO THIS IS THE FIRST MUSEUM WHICH DISPLAYED IN 80 YEARS HIS ART.

IT IS BRINGING AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF MEANING.

WE TALK ABOUT REDISCOVERY BECAUSE WE WANT TO BRING BACK HIRSCHFIELD FROM THE CONTEXT OF HIS DISCOVERY IN THE 40s.

WE'VE BEEN AN MODERNIST ENVIRONMENT WHERE IT WAS EXHIBITED ALONGSIDE SURREALISTS AND AVANT-GARDE ARTISTS.

HE STARTED TO PAINT IN 1947.

IT WAS DISCOVERED BY AN ART DEALER AT THE TIME SIDNEY JANICE.

HE WAS LOOKING AT ARTISTS TO INCLUDE IN HIS EXHIBITION.

AS HE WAS VISITING GALLERIES, HE DISCOVERED BY COINCIDENCE TWO PAINTINGS BY HIRSCHFIELD THAT WERE BROUGHT TO THIS GALLERY AND HE WAS MESMERIZED.

WHAT MARKS A TURNING POINT IN THIS ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THE ART WORLD AND HIRSCHFIELD IS THE INCLUSION IN THE SURREALES EIST PAINTINGS EXHIBITION.

THAT WAS THE FIRST, THE MOST IMPORTANT EXHIBITION OF SURREALISM IN THE U.S. AT THE TIME.

THAT ENCOUNTER BETWEEN VARIOUS NETWORKS, EXPOSURE TO INCREDIBLE COLLECTORS REALLY CHANGED THE COURSE.

THE TWO FIRST PAINTINGS THAT MORRIS HIRSCHFIELD CREATED WERE TWO WORKS THAT ARE VERY SPECIAL.

YOU CANNOT LOOK AT HIS WORK IN TERMS OF EVOLUTION OR IN TERMS OF HOW IT GREW THEMES OVER TIME.

IN THESE TWO PAINTINGS YOU HAVE EVERYTHING ALREADY.

THEY ARE MICROCOSMS OF WHAT HE HAS DONE DURING THE FOLLOWING SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS.

IN THIS VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WE TALK ABOUT NINE YEARS ONLY OF INTENSE CREATIVITY.

WHAT CAPTURES THESE TWO PAINTINGS IS THIS TEXTILE IMAGINATION AT PLAY.

YOU HAVE PAINTING ON THE SURFACE, WHICH IS SOMETHING YOU WILL SEE IN TAILOR MADE GIRL YOU WILL SEE AT THE WINDOW.

SO YOU HAVE A PLAYFUL WAY OF TAKING ADVANTAGE.

THERE'S A WIDE RANGE OF WILD AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS DEPICTED IN HIS PAINTINGS, ESPECIALLY CATS AND TIGERS IS A RECURRING THEME IN HIS REPERTOIRE AS WELL.

SOMETHING THAT IS VERY UNIQUE IN HIS STYLE AND HIS DEPICTION OF WOMEN IS THE WAY THEY ARE REPRESENTED IN OFTEN SITUATION OF CONTORTIONS.

YOU HAVE IN THIS INCREDIBLE PAINTING GIRL WITH PIGEONS THEY'RE LIKE A THEME THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN EMBRACED BY THE SURREALISTS AT THE TIME BECAUSE OF HIS DEPICTION OF WOMEN IN A VERY UNUSUAL WAY ON THE SURFACE OF A COUCH.

A COUCH EVOKES LIKE PSYCHO ANALYSIS.

IT'S A COINCIDENCE THIS HAS BEEN THE ONE SELECTED BY THE SURREALISTS FOR THEIR EXHIBITION.

SHE'S NOT LAYING ON THE COUCH, PER SE.

SHE HAS BEEN PLACED AS A SCULPTURE ON THE COUCH.

YOU HAVE THIS RIGIDITY OF THE DEPICTION OF THE FIGURE AS WELL.

NONETHELESS YOU HAVE THIS INTERACTION BETWEEN HER, THE FEMALE SUBJECT AND THE SEVEN PIGEONS SURROUNDING HER.

YOU HAVE ALWAYS THIS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NATURE AND CULTURE.

IN MANY CASES, WE DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF SOURCES TO EXPLAIN WHERE HE WOULD HAVE CAPTURED THESE THEMES.

THERE'S ALWAYSXTAPOSITION OF TH THE UNCONSCIOUS, FANTASIES AND REAL SOURCES.

IT GIVES AN OCCASION TO PRODUCE, GENERATE MORE RESEARCH AND CREATE A VERY ACTIVE DIALOGUE IN THE ART WORLD IN GENERAL.

♪ >>> MANHATTAN FLORIST LEWIS MILLER LIKES TO BRIGHTEN UP NEW YORK BY SHARING HIS ART WITH THE PUBLIC.

HIS POP UP ARRANGEMENTS, KNOWN AS FLOWER FLASHES, HAVE APPEARED ALL OVER THE CITY.

SINCE THE START OF THE PANDEMIC, HE'S CREATED SEVERAL FLASHES TO HONOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND THE SPIRIT OF NEW YORK CITY.

WE JOIN MILLER AND HIS CREW A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO ON ONE OF THEIR EARLY MORNING ADVENTURES.

>> FLOWERS WERE ALWAYS PART OF MY DNA.

I COME FROM A FAMILY OF GARDNERS BUT I WENT FROM LANDSCAPE AND HORTICULTURE TO THE FLOWER WORLD AND HERE I AM.

THE FLOWER FLASH WAS KIND OF BOPPING AROUND MY BRAIN FOR A WHILE.

IT DIDN'T HAVE A NAME.

IT WAS MORE THIS VAGUE IDEA OF HOW TO TAKE FLOWERS AND FUSE THEM IN AN URBAN CITY ENVIRONMENT.

SO IT FINALLY GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I WAS VERY SATISFIED WITH THE BUSINESS, THINGS GOING SUPER WELL, AND KIND OF NEEDING TO FEEL CREATIVELY ENERGIZED AGAIN BUT ALSO FEELING THE NEED IN MY OWN WAY TO GIVE BACK.

I'M SURROUNDED BY FLOWERS ON A DAILY BASIS, AS ARE MY CLIENTS.

WE TEND TO GET IMMUNE TO HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY ARE AND WHAT AN EXPRESSION OF JOY THEY ARE TO PEOPLE.

IT'S REALLY ABOUT TAKING THAT WHICH IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND EPHEMERAL AND MERGING IT WITH THE TEXTURE AND GRIT OF URBAN CITY LIFE AND CREATING SOMETHING VERY SPONTANEOUS, FLEETING AND ABSTRACT.

WE SPEND A GREAT DEAL OF TIME, YOU KNOW, REALLY FINDING LOCATIONS THAT FEEL NEW YORK FIRST.

SO THAT COMBINED WITH THE SEASON, WHAT'S LOOKING GOOD AND ALSO THE FLOWER FLASHES ARE AN ACCUMULATION OF OLD FLOWERS IN THE FLOWER MARKET, STUFF THAT'S LEFT OVER FROM THE STUDIO AND STUFF LEFT OVER FROM EVENTS.

SO WE HAVE TO WORK WITH THAT AS WELL.

THESE FLASHES HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY.

WE PLAN IT TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, THEN WE JUST DO IT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

THERE'S A LITTLE ANXIOUS ENERGY.

YOU KNOW IT'S USUALLY DARK, A LOT OF TIMES IT'S COLD.

FLOWERS ARE FOR NEW YORKERS.

THEY ARE FOR THE PEOPLE.

I WANT PEOPLE TO INTERACT WITH THEM, TAKE A PICTURE, TAKE A BLOSSOM AND TAKE SOME HOME.

NEW YORK IS NEW YORK, ALL THESE PEOPLE PILED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.

TO ME, THE TWO BIGGEST LUXURIES IN THE CITY ARE NATURE AND SPACE.

SO THE MORE WE CAN HAVE THESE SOFT MOMENTS OF JUST BEAUTY AND JOY FOR NO OTHER REASON, EVEN IF IT'S FOR AN HOUR OR TEN MINUTES, ITS JOB IS DONE.

♪ >>> NEXT WEEK ON NYC ARTS, A CONVERSATION WITH THE CELEBRATED NORWEGIAN PIANIST LEIF OVE, ANDSNES.

>> THEY SPEAK DIRECTLY TO OUR HEARTS AND IT'S VERY INTIMATE.

♪ >> AND A VISIT TO THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM AND AND THE EXHIBITION MONET TO MORISOT.

>> IT'S 19th AND EARLY 20th CENTURY EUROPEAN ART.

WE HAVE ORGANIZED IT UNDER THE BROAD THEME OF THE REAL AND THE IMAGINED, WHICH WAS REALLY EVOCATIVE AND FLEXIBLE IN TERMS OF THESE DISPARATE WORKS.

>> I HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR PROGRAM TONIGHT.

I'M PAULA ZAHN ON LOCATION AT THE BARTOW PELL MANSION MUSEUM IN THE BRONX.

THANKS FOR WATCHING US.

GOOD NIGHT.

♪ ♪ ♪ >>> FUNDING FOR NYC-ARTS IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION, THEA PETSCHEK IERVOLINO FOUNDATION, JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD, THE LEWIS SONNY TURNER FUND FOR DANCE, ELISE JAFFE AND JEFFREY BROWN, CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER, THE MILTON AND SALLY AVERY ARTS FOUNDATION, THE NANCY SIDEWATER FOUNDATION, ELROY AND TERRY KRUMHOLZ FOUNDATION AND ELLEN AND JAMES S. MARCUS.

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED, IN PART, BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY MEMBERS OF THIRTEEN.

NYC-ARTS IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY FIRST REPUBLIC BANK >>> FIRST REPUBLIC BANK PRESENTS 'FIRST THINGS FIRST.'

AT FIRST REPUBLIC BANK, FIRST REFERS TO OUR FIRST PRIORITY.

THE CLIENTS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS.

THE FIRST STEP?

RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY CLIENT IS AN INDIVIDUAL WITH UNIQUE NEEDS.

FIRST DECREE.

BE A BANK WHOSE CURRENCY IS SERVICE IN THE FORM OF PERSONAL BANKING.

THIS WAS FIRST REPUBLIC'S MISSION FROM OUR VERY FIRST DAY.

IT'S STILL THE FIRST THING ON OUR MINDS.

>> AND BY SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.

SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.

WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT AUCTIONS, OFFERING VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ART SINCE 1941.

WORKING TO COMBINE KNOWLEDGE WITH ACCESSIBILITY, WHETHER YOU ARE A LIFELONG COLLECTOR OR A FIRST-TIME BUYER, OR LOOKING TO SELL.

INFORMATION AT SWANN GALLERIES DOT COM.