♪ >>> COMING UP ON "NYC ARTS," THE CONVERSATION WITH THE CURATOR OF "INSPIRING DISNEY: THE ANIMATION OF FRENCH DECORATIVE ARTS" ON VIEW AT METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

>> I'VE BROUGHT TOGETHER WORKS OF ART AND WALT DISNEY HAND-DRAWN ANIMATION.

THERE'S INFLUENCE OF FRENCH ART ON THOSE FILMS.

AND THERE'S SO MUCH MORE IN TERMS OF SIMILARITIES OF WORKSHOP PRACTICES, RHETORIC OF THE WORKS OF ART AND ZEAL TO ANIMATE THE INANIMATE.

>>> VISIT TO THE MET'S COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART.

>> JACKSON POLLACK, THE PAINTING CAME IN IN 1957, ONE OF THE TREASURES OF THE MODERN COLLECTION.

>>> AND WE MEET FLORIST LOUIS MILLER WHO BRIGHTENS UP NEW YORK BY SHARING HIS ART WITH THE PUBLIC.

>> THEY ARE FOR THE PEOPLE, AND I WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE THEM, INTERACT WITH THEM, OBVIOUSLY TAKE A PICTURE BUT TAKE A BLOSSOM, TAKE SOME HOME.

MORE WE CAN HAVE SOFT MOMENTS OF BEAUTY AND JOY FOR NO OTHER REASON, EVEN JUST FOR AN HOUR OR TEN MINUTES, THE JOB IS DONE.

>>> FUNDING FOR "NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- THEA PETSCHEK IERVOLINO FOUNDATION.

THE LEWIS "SONNY" TURNER FUND FOR DANCE.

THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.

JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD.

ELISE JAFFE AND JEFFREY BROWN.

CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER.

THE NANCY SIDEWATER FOUNDATION.

THE MILTON AND SALLY AVERY ARTS 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 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.

WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT AUCTIONS.

OFFERING VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ARTS SINCE 1941.

WORKING TO COMBINE KNOWLEDGE WITH ACCESSIBILITY.

WHETHER YOU'RE A LIFELONG COLLECTOR, FIRST-TIME BUYER, OR LOOKING TO SELL.

INFORMATION AT SWANNGALLERIES.COM.

♪ ♪ >>> GOOD EVENING, WELCOME TO "NYC ARTS."

I'M ON LOCATION AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

CURRENTLY ON VIEW AN EXHIBITION THE FIRST EVER OF ITS KIND FOR THE MET "INSPIRING WALT DISNEY: THE ANIMATION OF FRENCH DECORATIVE ARTS," WHICH YOU SEE IN THESE GALLERIES.

REVEALS WALT DISNEY'S PERSONAL FASCINATION WITH EUROPEAN ART AND USE OF FRENCH MOTIVFS IN DISNEY THEME PARKS.

ARTS ARE FEATURED ALONGSIDE 150 PRODUCTION ARTWORKS AND WORKS ON PAPER FROM THE WALT DISNEY ANIMATION RESEARCH LIBRARY.

WALT DISNEY ARCHIVES, IMAGING COLLECTIONS, ARCHIVES AND FAMILY MUSEUM.

THE EXHIBITION ALSO SHOWS THE INFLUENCE OF EUROPEAN VISUAL CULTURE IN DISNEY ANIMATED FILMS, INCLUDING NODS TO GOTHIC REVIVAL ARCHITECTURE IN "CINDERELLA" IN 1950, MEDIEVAL INFLUENCES IN "SLEEPING BEAUTY" IN 1959 AND ROCOCO BROUGHT TO LIFE IN "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST" IN 1991.

I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH THE CURATOR OF THE EXHIBITION.

IT IS IMMENSE PLEASURE TO BE IN THE GALLERY OF THE EXHIBITION OF DISNEY.

BEHIND YOU ARE THREE FRENCH 18th CENTURY CLOTHS.

BEHIND ME IS FRENCH 18th CENTURY PORCELAIN.

AND IT IS NOT FRANKLY OBVIOUS THAT THESE OBJECTS WOULD SOMEHOW HAVE A CONNECTION TO DISNEY.

HOW DID THAT HAPPEN THAT YOU LINKED THE TWO?

>> WELL, VERY GOOD QUESTION.

I DON'T THINK THERE'S BEEN A REAL LIGHT BULB MOMENT.

I HAVE BROUGHT TOGETHER IN THIS EXHIBITION TWO SUBJECTS I WAS INTERESTED IN ALL MY LIFE, 18th CENTURY FRENCH DECORATIVE WORKS OF ART AND WALT DISNEY HAND-DRAWN ANIMATION.

SO I LOOKED INTO SOME OF THE FRENCH FAIRY TALES THAT HE RETOLD IN ANIMATION AND REALIZED ACTUALLY THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCES OF FRENCH ART ON THOSE FILMS.

AS I WAS LOOKING AT THESE SOURCES OF INSPIRATION, I THEN REALIZED THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE IN TERMS OF SIMILARITIES OF WORKSHOP PRACTICES AND INDEED THIS ZEAL TO ANIMATE THE INANIMATE.

>> WHEN YOU SEE THE AUDIENCES WHO COME, DO THEY TEND TO BE OLDER?

>> WELL NO, THE WONDERFUL THING, WE HAVE A VERY WIDE ARRAY OF AGES, ACTUALLY ALL AGES WE'VE SEEN AT THE EXHIBITION.

SO IT HAS AN APPEAL THAT GOES BEYOND CERTAIN GENERATIONS.

"CINDERELLA" RELEASED AFTER WORLD WAR II IN 1950 IS A FILM EVERYBODY SEEMS TO KNOW.

BUT KEY THING IS THEY SEE AND UNDERSTAND NOW THESE ARE ALL DONE BY HAND.

THAT SOMEONE SAT DOWN WITH A LARGE STACK OF PAPER DRAWING CINDERELLA BIT BY BIT, 24 DRAWINGS FOR ONE SECOND OF ANIMATION.

>> 24 DRAWINGS, ONE SECOND OF ANIMATION?

>> EXACTLY.

YOU HAVE ONE LEAD ANIMATOR, HE'S GOING TO DO THE MAJORITY OF THE ANIMATION, SET IT ALL OUT.

THEN THERE'S THE SO-CALLED IN-BETWEENERS WHO WILL FILL GAPS BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL DRAWINGS SO YOU END UP HAVING 24 DRAWINGS FOR ONE SECOND OF ANIMATION.

THESE ARE THEN TRANSFERRED FROM THE PIECE OF PAPER TO A PLASTIC SHEET OF SCELLOID, TRANSFERRED OVER, CAREFULLY, PUT IN FRONT OF BACKGROUND AND SHOT CAREFULLY.

FOR FILM YOU WOULD NEED 5,000 DRAWINGS OF THESE CELS.

>> I GATHER A GREAT MANY OF THE ARTISTS WERE WOMEN.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

WE SEE INTERESTING CHANGE IN 1930s AND '40s AT DISNEY STUDIOS.

ORIGINALLY NEATLY DIVIDED UP WITH MEN DOING MAJORITY OF THE CREATIVE WORK, STORYTELLING, DEVELOPING THE STORIES AND CHARACTERS.

BUT GRADUALLY DISNEY REALIZED THERE WERE CREATIVE WOMEN OUT THERE WHO COULD HELP HIM TELL HIS STORIES AND WERE ILLUSTRATING.

MOST ESPECIALLY MARY BLAIR, AMONG THE MOST POPULAR OF DISNEY ARTISTS.

>> THAT'S WONDERFUL.

WALT DISNEY.

TELL US ABOUT HIS BACKGROUND, HIS FIRST TRIPS TO EUROPE, HOW HE DISCOVERED WHAT WAS HIS LIGHT BULB REACTION.

>> DISNEY WAS BORN AT VERY BEGINNING OF THE 20th CENTURY, 120 YEARS AGO.

GREW UP IN RURAL MISSOURI UNDER RATHER TOUGH CIRCUMSTANCES.

REALLY IS A FIGURE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM.

GREW UP REALLY HAVING NOTHING.

SO HE WAS SUDDENLY PRESENTED WITH OPPORTUNITY TO SHIP OUT TO FRANCE IN THE AFTERMATH OF WORLD WAR I WHERE HE WAS A RED CROSS AMBULANCE DRIVER.

ARRIVED 4th OF DECEMBER.

5th WAS HIS 17th BIRTHDAY.

HE HAD TO PAWN HIS SHOES IN ORDER TO BUY GRENADINE FOR HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS TO CELEBRATE HIS 17th BIRTHDAY.

THEY SET UP RIGHT OUTSIDE THE GARDENS AND RETURNS TO AMERICA NINE MONTHS LATER AND IS COMPLETELY CHANGED MAN.

WANTS TO BECOME A CARTOONIST.

SAW ALL THESE EXTRAORDINARY SOURCES OF INSPIRATION.

AND THEN HE FOUNDS A STUDIO IN 1923.

AT AGE OF 22.

AND BY 1935 HE WAS REALLY A GLOBAL SENSATION.

AND SO HE GOES BACK TO EUROPE ON A GRAND TOUR THAT COVERS ENGLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND AND ITALY.

WHILE IN PARIS GOES TO V VERSAILLES.

WE HAVE FILM FOOTAGE SHOT BY HIMSELF, SHOOTING HIS FAMILY IN THE HALL OF MIRRORS, AND CAN SEE THAT SPACE BECAME A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION.

♪ >> I THINK PERHAPS EXPANDING A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT EXACTLY IS R ROCOCO FOR OUR AUDIENCE WOULD BE GOOD.

>> A PAN EUROPEAN STYLE BORN IN PARIS IN 1920s.

DESCRIBED AS LIGHT REACTION OF FRENCH DESIGNERS BREAKING WITH THE RIGIDITY OF THE CLASSICAL STYLE OF THE REIGN OF LOUIS XIV.

IT'S ALL ABOUT LIGHT FORMS, PINK, TRUE OBSESSION WITH COLOR PINK.

ASYMMETRY, AND REALLY BREATHING LIFE INTO THE FRENCH INTERIOR OF THE MID 18th CENTURY.

WHAT IS NICE IN TERMS OF COMPARING STYLE OF ROCOCO WITH DISNEY IS IT SPEAKS TO EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS RATHER THAN INTELLECT.

BOTH ROCOCO DESIGN AND DISNEY.

>> DEFINE THAT.

>> IT'S OUR PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH TO ATTRIBUTE HUMAN PROPERTIES TO NONHUMAN ENTITIES.

WE HAVE A TEAPOT THAT LOOKS LIKE A PERSON, A CLOCK THAT LOOKS OR ACTS LIKE A PERSON.

SOMETHING THAT RUNS THROUGH 18th CENTURY DECORATIVE ARTS AND ALSO LITERATURE.

IN THE SPACE WE ARE SITTING NOW, WE HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE OBJECTS.

BRINGING TOGETHER THE DISNEY SKETCHES THAT ALSO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THE LINGUISTIC TERMS WE USE TO DESCRIBE THE OBJECTS, BORROWED FROM MAN.

CANDLESTICK HAS ARMS, CLOCK A FACE AND TEAPOT A BELLY AND SHOULDER.

WHAT WE SHOW IS DISNEY USED HISTORIC SOURCES AS SOURCES OF INFORMATION, ALTHOUGH STREAMLINED THEM, ALSO 18th CENTURY CRAFTSPEOPLE TRIED TO BREATHE LIFE INTO THE OBJECTS THEY DESIGNED.

WHAT'S INTERESTING, DISNEY, ONE QUESTION YOU ASK YOURSELF LOOKING AT ARTIST LIKE DISNEY, WHAT DID HE COLLECT.

IT'S NOT LIKE HE HIMSELF IN HIS HOUSE SURROUNDS HIMSELF WITH GREAT WORKS OF ART AND FURNITURE.

HOWEVER, WHAT HE DID COLLECT WERE MINIATURE PIECES OF FURNITURE.

HE ACCUMULATED ABOUT 1,000 OF THOSE.

HE WAS INSPIRED BY A VISIT TO THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION IN 1939 IN SAN FRANCISCO.

WHERE HE AND SEVERAL OF HIS STUDIO ARTISTS SAW THE THORN ROOMS, THE PRODUCT OF THE WORKSHOP OF MRS. NARISSA BLACKTHORN WHO CREATED MINIATURE INTERIORS WHICH WERE INCREDIBLY ACCURATE OF LOUIS' INTERIORS.

>> IN CHICAGO.

>> AND WE ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY THEY LENT US ONE OF THOSE ROOMS THAT ARE BUILT INTO THE ROOMS, NEVER NORMALLY TRAVEL.

>> THEY ARE ASTONISHING.

>> WHAT IS BRILLIANT ABOUT HAVING THE ROOM IN THE EXHIBITION, IT ENCOURAGES WHAT DISNEY TRIED TO DO WITH HIS FILMS AND MRS. BLACKTHORN WITH THE ROOM, THE MIND TRAVELS.

WANTED TO GIVE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL TO EUROPE TO SEE THE SPACES AND LET THEIR IMAGINATION RUN FREE.

>> THERE IS ALSO A FAIR AMOUNT OF WORK OF DISNEY THAT IS BASED ON THE GOTHIC REVIVAL ALSO.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.

>> SO PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED OF ALL DISNEY ANIMATED FAIRY TALES IS "SLEEPING BEAUTY," WRITTEN AT DAWN OF THE 18th CENTURY, INSPIRED BY VISIT TO LOIRE VALLEY, A BEAUTIFUL CASTLE.

WHEN DISNEY STARTED WORKING ON "SLEEPING BEAUTY," ONE OF HIS IMPORTANT ARTISTS CAME TO NEW YORK AND VISITED THE CLOISTERS, SAW THE TAPESTRIES, RUSHED BACK TO LOS ANGELES AND SAID WOULDN'T THAT BE A WONDERFUL AESTHETIC TEMPLATE FOR THE STORY SET IN THE MIDDLE AGES.

THEY SET OUT TO BRING A TAPESTRY TO LIECFE.

YOU CAN SEE THE PREPARATION FOR THE FILM DEEPLY ROOTED IN MEDIEVAL SOURCES.

>> THE MET ITSELF ACTUALLY OWNS WORKS BY WALT DISNEY.

IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, IN LATE 1930s WALT DISNEY GAVE A WATERCOLOR, I THINK TWO VULTURES, AND AT THE TIME THE QUESTION MIGHT HAVE BEEN ASKED IS IT ART.

HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THAT TODAY?

>> WELL, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, AT THE TIME I THINK OVERWHELMING RESPONSE WAS YES, IT IS ART.

IT'S INTERESTING THAT ALTHOUGH THIS IS 80 YEARS AGO, THE QUESTION IS STILL RAISED TODAY.

DI DISNEY PRESENTED THE VULTURES TO THE MET IN 1938 AND IT MADE A HUGE SPLASH IN THE PRESS.

BUT OVERWHELMINGLY THE PRESS WAS POSITIVE.

IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE THEY SAID THINGS LIKE NONE OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM TRUSTEES THREATENED TO QUIT.

AND METROPOLITAN MUSEUM ISN'T BLUSHING ABOUT IT.

THAT WAS GREAT WHEN I WAS MAKING THE CASE TO DO THE EXHIBITION.

I COULD GO UP TO LEADERSHIP OF THE MUSEUM, SAY IF IT'S OKAY IN 1938, SURELY MUST BE OKAY IN 2021.

>> WELL, IT'S BEEN A GREAT PLEASURE TO TALK TO YOU.

YOU'VE BEEN VERY ENLIGHTENING, AND WOLF, I THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> THANK YOU FOR COMING TO SEE US.

♪ >>> NEXT, WE VISIT THE MET'S COLLECTION OF POST WAR AND CONTEMPORARY ART.

EPIC ABSTRACTION, POLLACK TO HERRERA EXPLORES LARGE-SCALE ABSTRACT PAINTING, SCULPTURE AND OTHER WORKS OF ART, SEEKING TO BROADEN THE AREA OF ABSTRACTION.

BRINGING TOGETHER 50 WORKS OF THE COLLECTION.

JACKSON POLLACK, ROTHKO, HERREDA, BRADFORD.

THE CURATOR LOOKS AT A SINGLE WORK FROM THE EXHIBITION.

♪ >> WE'RE LOOKING AT JACKSON POLLACK'S "AUTUMN RHYTHM" FROM 1950.

THE PAINTING CAME INTO THE COLLECTION IN 1957, AND IT'S ONE OF THE TREASURES OF THE MET'S MODERN COLLECTION.

POLLACK IS MOST REMEMBERED AS KEY FIGURE IN AMERICAN ART OF THE 20th CENTURY FOR LARGE-SCALE, SO-CALLED DRIP PAINTINGS, WHICH HE STARTED TO DO IN THE LATE 1940s AND INTO THE EARLY 1950s.

THESE WORKS HAVE A GREAT SENSE OF IMMEDIACY FOR A RANGE OF REASONS.

ONE IS THAT THEY'RE LARGE, WHICH RELATIVE TO YOUR OWN SCALE MAKES YOU FEEL A LITTLE BIT SMALL BY COMPARISON.

ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH POLLACK PAID A KEY ROLE IN CHANGING THE VERY CONCEPT OF PAINTING, IS THAT HE MOVED THE CANVAS FROM THE EASEL TO THE FLOOR, AND HE ALSO BEGAN WORKING WITH COMMON HOUSEHOLD ENAMEL PAINT.

HE LIKED THIS PAINT BECAUSE IT WAS VERY VISCOUS, AND SO IT'S THE KIND OF PAINT THAT YOU CAN THROW AND IT CREATES THESE DYNAMIC DRIPS AND DRIBBLES AND THESE WHIPS OF PAINT THAT SEEMED TO BE CAPTURED IN SPACE ON THE PICTURE PLANE.

IN THE CASE OF "AUTUMN RHYTHM," SOME OF THE PAINT IS THIN AND ELEGANT AND GRATEFUL.

OTHER PASSAGES ARE DENSE AND MORE AGGRESSIVE AND THICKER.

THERE ARE PASSAGES ALSO OF IMPASTTO, WHERE HE'S USED PARTS OF THE ENAMEL PAINT THAT'S DRIED AND EVEN AS THE PAINT REGISTERS AS FLAT.

WHEN PEOPLE FIRST ENCOUNTER POLLACK'S WORK, THEY PERCEIVE IT AS IMPROVISATIONAL WITHOUT GUIDING PRINCIPLE.

AS YOU LOOK AT MULTIPLE WORKS BY POLLACK, YOU CAN SEE EACH CANVAS IS UNIQUE AND DISTINCTIVE FROM ANOTHER.

IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, TO THE RIGHT OF CENTER, TOWARD THE BOTTOM, AS WE SEE IT ON THE WALL, THERE'S A LITTLE FLICK OF RED PAINT, JUST A DROPLET OF RED PAINT.

ONCE YOU SEE IT, YOU CAN'T UP SEE IT BECAUSE IT SEEMS SO ANOMALOUS.

ONE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT POLLAC POLLACK'S TECHNIQUE IS EMBRACE OF ACCIDENT AND EFFECTS OF CHANCE.

THE WORD "RHYTHM" WONDERFULLY TIES TO SENSE OF RHYTHM AND CADENCE THAT'S PART AND PARCEL OF HIS GESTURAL PAINTING STYLE.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS WORK IS GREAT SENSE OF GROWTH AND EVOLUTION IN A WAY TIES TO THE CHANGE OF SEASONS AND EBBS AND FLOWS OF NATURE IN THE COURSE OF A YEAR.

>>> 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 RESILIENT SPIRIT OF NEW YORK CITY.

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

>> FLOWERS WERE ALWAYS PART OF MY DNA, FROM A FAMILY OF GARDENERS, WENT FROM HORTICULTURE TO THE FLOWER WORLD.

HERE I AM.

FLOWER FLASH WAS BOPPING AROUND MY BRAIN FOR A WHILE.

IT DIDN'T HAVE A NAME.

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

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

I FEEL SURROUNDED BY FLOWERS ON A DAILY BASIS, AS OUR MY CLIENTS.

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

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

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

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

SO WE HAVE TO WORK WITH THAT AS WELL.

FLASHES HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY.

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

THERE'S AN ANXIOUS ENERGY, IT'S USUALLY DARK, LOT OF TIMES IT'S COLD.

FLOWERS ARE FOR NEW YORKERS, FOR THE PEOPLE.

I WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE THEM, INTERACT WITH THEM.

OBVIOUSLY TAKE A PICTURE BUT TAKE A BLOSSOM, 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, JOB IS DONE.

>>> NEXT WEEK ON "NYC ARTS," VISIT TO THE MUSEUM IN QUEENS.

LEGACY OF THE WORLD-RENOWNED SCULPTOR.

>> HE REALLY WANTED TO CHANGE SCULPTURE IN A WAY THAT MADE IT A FORCE FOR CIVIC GOOD.

HE WANTED TO MAKE IT AN ACTIVE PART OF OUR EVERYDAY LIVES.

THAT'S WHY HE NEVER STOPPED MAKING FURNITURE, HIS LAMP SERIES, PLAYGROUNDS, PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT, SETS FOR THEATER AND DANCE.

LONG COLLABORATIONS WITH PEOPLE LIKE MARTHA GRAHAM.

>> A TRIP TO THE WHITNEY MUSEUM AND JASPER JOHNS.

>> HE'S KNOWN FOR HIS PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND PRINTS, HE ALSO MADE IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING SCULPTURES, LIKE THE TWO ALE CANS OR THE FAMOUS CAN FULL OF BRUSHES.

BUT RETURNED IN A RIGOROUS WAY TO SCULPTURE AGAIN IN THE EARLY 2000s.

>> AND LOOK IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

>> THE METROPOLITAN HAS 50 WORKS AND WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT HIS WORK IN SUCH A COMPREHENSIVE WAY FROM EARLY CAMEO PORTRAITS TO LOWER RELIEF PORTRAITS OF HIS FRIENDS AND FELLOW ARTISTS, TO MODELS FOR AND REDUCTIONS AFTER HIS GREAT CIVIL WAR MONUMENTS.

>> I HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR PROGRAM THIS EVENING.

I'M ON LOCATION AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING, AND SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

TO ENJOY MORE OF YOUR FAVORITE SEGMENTS ON "NYC ARTS," VISIT OUR WEBSITE, NYC-ARTS.ORG.

>> LEONARD, WHAT A PRIVILEGE TO SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH YOU.

>> I LOVE BEING WITH YOU, TOO, PAUL WILL.

>> WHERE ARE WE?

>> A MOMENT TO TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED.

>> PLEASURE TO BE WITH THE CURATOR OF THE EXHIBITION FULL OF HOPE.

IN THE MIDST OF SOME OF THE GREATEST SCULPTURES BY THE ICONIC NAMES.

♪ ♪ ♪ >>> FUNDING FOR "NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- THEA PETSCHEK IERVOLINO FOUNDATION.

THE LEWIS "SONNY" TURNER FUND FOR DANCE.

THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.

JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD.

ELISE JAFFE AND JEFFREY BROWN.

CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER.

THE NANCY SIDEWATER FOUNDATION.

THE MILTON AND SALLY AVERY ARTS 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 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.

WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT AUCTIONS.

OFFERING VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ARTS SINCE 1941.

WORKING TO COMBINE KNOWLEDGE WITH ACCESSIBILITY.

WHETHER YOU'RE A LIFELONG COLLECTOR, FIRST-TIME BUYER, OR LOOKING TO SELL.

INFORMATION AT SWANNGALLERIES.COM.