>>>COMING UP ON NYC ARTS, THE PROFILE OF THE OF THE MODERN VIOLIN MAKER, SAM ZYGMUNTOWICZ.

CRAFTING HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUMENTS.

>> EVERY VIOLIN I MAKE, I'M LOOKING AT EVERY ASPECT THAT I CAN.

I REALLY LIKE IT.

I WANT TO MAKE ANOTHER ONE LIKE THAT.

I HAVE SOME RECORD OF WHAT I DID.

>> A TRIP TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM AND ART OF NATIVE AMERICA.

THE CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER COLLECTION.

>> NATIVE AMERICAN ART IS A FOUNDATION TO OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE.

EXHIBITIONS LIKE THIS ARE MEANT TO MOVE PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THAT IDEA THAT ALL NATIVE PEOPLES ARE THE SAME, HOMOGENEOUS.

THEY WERE NOT AT ANY TIME, AND THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT TODAY.

>> A VISIT TO NEW YORK'S HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

>> THIS PORTRAIT OF THE FOUR SIBLINGS IS AN EXAMPLE OF EARLY COLONIAL PORTRAITURE, AND IT'S ONLY ONE OF MANY STELLAR EXAMPLES IN OUR AMAZING COLLECTION OF THE GENRE.

>> FUNDING FOR NYC ARTS IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE AMBROSE MARNELL FOUNDATION.

JODY AND JOHN ARNOLD.

THE LEWIS TONY TURNER FOUNDATION FOR DANCE.

AT LEAST JEFF AND JEFF REBOUND.

CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER.

THE MILTON MICELI.

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY MEMBERS OF 13.

NYC ARTS IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY FIRST REPUBLIC BANK.

>> FIRST REPUBLIC BANK PRESENTS FIRST THINGS FIRST.

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

THE CLIENTS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS.

THE FIRST STEP, RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY KIND IS AN INDIVIDUAL.

THEY HAVE UNIQUE NEEDS.

THEY ARE IN SERVICE.

THIS IS IN THE FORM OF PERSONAL BANKING.

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

IT IS STILL THE FIRST THING ON OUR MINDS.

>> BY SWANN GALLERIES .

>> SWANN GALLERIES.

WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT AUCTIONS, OFFERING VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ARTS IN STUNTING WHERE 41.

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.COM.

>>> GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO NYC-ARTS.

I AM PHILIPPE de MONTEBELLO, ON LOCATION AT THE MORGAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM IN INTEL MANHATTAN.

IT IS LOCATED AT MADISON AVENUE AND 86th STREET.

THE MORGAN BEGAN AS THE PRIVATE LIBRARY OF FINANCE YEAR PIERPONT MORGAN.

IT IS FOUNDED IN 1906.

THE MORGAN NOW SERVES AS A MUSEUM.

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH LIBRARY, MUSIC VENUE, ARCHITECTURE LANDMARKS, AND I'M HERE IN THE MAGNIFICENT EAST ROOM.

MR. MORGAN'S LIBRARY, DESIGNED BY A CELEBRATED ARCHITECT AT THE TIME,.

COMPLETED IF YOU YEARS BEFORE HIS DEATH, IT WAS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE HIS MASTERPIECE.

THIS BUILDING EMBODIES THE RENAISSANCE IDEAL OF THE UNITY OF ALL OF THE ARTS, INTEGRATING ARCHITECTURE, SCULPTURE, AND PAINTING WHILE USING THE FINEST MATERIALS AND CRAFTSMANSHIP.

THEY HAVE A COLLECTION OF MANUSCRIPTS, MUSIC, DRAWINGS, AND WORKS OF ART.

THIS COMPRISES THE UNIQUE AND DYNAMIC RECORDS FOR IMMUNIZATION.

THIS IS AS WELL AS THE INCOMPARABLE REPOSITORIES FOR IDEAS AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS FROM 4000 BC TO THE PRESENT.

OVER THE YEARS, THROUGH PURCHASE AND GENEROUS GIFTS, THE MORGAN HAS CONTINUED TO ACTIVELY ACQUIRE RARE MATERIALS, AS WELL AS IMPORTANT MUSIC MANUSCRIPTS, A COLLECTION OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS AND MANY SCRIPS, AND OTHER NOTABLE WORKS FROM THE 20th CENTURY.

HOWEVER, THE FOCUS ON THE WRITTEN WORD, THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK, AND MASTER DRAWINGS HAVE BEEN MAINTAINED.

WHEN MORGAN ACQUIRED HIS FIRST MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS AT THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY, HE LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR A COLLECTION WHOSE QUALITY WOULD RANK AMONG THE GREATEST IN THE WORLD.

THE MORGAN'S COLLECTION IS MADE UP OF PRIMARILY OF WESTERN MANUSCRIPTS, WITH FRENCH BEING THE LARGEST ENGLISH NATIONAL GROUP, FOLLOWED BY ITALIAN, ENGLISH, GERMAN, FLEMISH, DUST, AND SPANISH.

SOME OF THESE BOOKS ARE OF A CLASSICAL NATURE, BUT THE MAJORITY ARE OF A RELIGIOUS NATURE.

NOTABLE ARE THE BEJEWELED GOSPELS, THE HOURS OF CATHERINE, AND THE HOURS OF CARDINAL FARNESE, THE BEST- KNOWN ITALIAN MANUSCRIPT.

ON TONIGHT'S PROGRAM, NYC-ARTS VISITS THE BROOKLYN STUDIO OF A MODERN VIOLIN MAKER TO DISCOVER THE UNIQUE SKILLS AND DELICATE PROCESS INVOLVED IN CREATING AN OUTSTANDING INSTRUMENT.

REGARDED AS ONE OF THE GREATEST CONTEMPORARY MAKERS, SAM ZYGMUNTOWICZ , DISCOVERED HIS CRAFT AS A TEENAGER, AND WENT ON TO STUDY AT THE VIOLIN MAKING SCHOOL OF AMERICA IN SALT LAKE CITY.

EVER SINCE THEN, HE HAS SPENT HIS CAREER CREATING VIOLINS FOR SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST TALENTED MUSICIANS.

THE HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN SPANS OVER 450 YEARS.

THE SOUND AND APPEARANCE WERE INFLUENCED EARLY ON BY THE SKILLED, NOTABLE VIOLIN MAKERS SUCH AS DIFFERENT FAMILIES AND ANTONIO STRADIVARI.

TRADITIONALLY, VIOLIN MAKING IN EUROPE WAS BASED AROUND VILLAGES DEVELOPED FOR THE CRAFT.

HOWEVER, IN AMERICA, VIOLIN MAKERS ARE DRAWN INTO THE PRACTICE THROUGH PERSONAL PASSION, AND ARTISTIC INTEREST, WHICH HAS LED TO THE AMERICAN RENAISSANCE OF THE CRAFT THAT BEGAN IN THE 1970s, AND CONTINUES TODAY.

>> I WAS INTERESTED IN SCULPTURE AND ART FROM AS LITTLE AS I CAN REMEMBER.

I WAS ALWAYS DOING SCULPTURE.

I THINK I WAS GOOD AT IT.

EVERYONE ASSUMED THAT I WOULD BE A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST.

WHEN I WAS 13, I READ A BOOK ABOUT A VIOLIN MAKER.

I KIND OF GOT INTERESTED IN INSTRUMENT MAKING IT IT USES ALL OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF ART, BUT IT IS FOR A PRACTICAL PURPOSE, AND IT HAS A REALLY CLEAR METRIC.

IT EITHER PERFORMS WELL AS A VIOLIN FOR THE MUSICIAN, OR IT DOESN'T.

IT IS DEPENDENT ON KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL.

IF SOMEONE COMES TO ME TO HAVE A VIOLIN MADE, THERE IS KIND OF A PROCESS WHERE I WANT TO UNDERSTAND, FIRST OF ALL, WHY DID THEY COME TO ME?

PRESUMABLY, THEY HAVE HEARD INSTRUMENTS OF MINE.

I WANT TO SEE THE VIOLIN READ I HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WANT.

ARE THEY A SOLOIST, OR ARE THEY A VERY AGGRESSIVE STRONG PLAYER?

ARE THEY SOMEONE WHO IS A MORE SUBTLE PLAYER OR SOFTER?

THEN, I WILL GO BACK TO MY SHOP READ IT IS UP TO ME TO DECIDE WHAT I WILL MAKE FOR THEM, AND IT WILL SERVE THEIR NEEDS.

ALL AROUND ME HERE, THERE'S MY WOODSTOCK, OR SOME OF MY WOODSTOCK.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE A COLLECTION.

IT IS GOING TO COME FROM ALL OVER EUROPE.

I HAVE BEEN BUYING FROM THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER.

IT HAS TO SIT FOR A LONG TIME.

BUT THEN I CAN GO THROUGH THAT, AND I PICK WOULD BASED NOT JUST VISUALLY, BUT ON THE DENSITY.

THIS IS HOW I THINK IT WILL BEHAVE IN THIS MODEL.

FIRST, I HAVE TO MAKE WHAT IS CALLED THE RIB STRUCTURE, WHICH IS THE SIDES.

THOSE ARE BENT AT A VERY THIN WOOD AROUND A FORM, WHICH I DESIGNED.

FROM THE RIBS, FROM THE SIDES I HAVE MADE, I WILL THEN CREATE THE OUTLINE OF THE INSTRUMENT.

I WILL STYLE THE TOP AND THE BACK.

THE RIBS ARE BENT.

THE TOP AND THE BACK, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE AN ARCH, THAT'S CARVED IN BECAUSE OF THE COMPOUND ARCH.

IN MANY DIRECTIONS, THE RIBS ARE JUST BENT.

THE ARCHING IS CRITICAL TO THE TONE COLOR.

PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE VIOLIN IS THE FRONT, THE TOP RATED THAT'S THE PART THAT VIBRATES THE MOST.

THAT'S MADE OUT OF SPRUCE, WHICH IS, OF THE EUROPEAN WOODS, IT IS THE STRONGEST WOOD PER UNIT OF WEIGHT.

WHAT IS CHALLENGING WHILE I MAKING IT RELATING IT TO A VISUAL AND TACTILE WAY, BUT WHEN IT IS WORKING AS A VIOLIN, IT IS GOING TO BE VIBRATING IN A WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IS NOT VISIBLE TO THE EYE, IT IS VERY REAL.

IT IS LIKE A LONG CHESS GAME.

I WON'T KNOW IF I MADE THE RIGHT CALLS UNTIL THE INSTRUMENTS BEING STRUNG UP AND BEING PLAYED FOR A WHILE.

IT CROSSES A LINE, FROM BEING SOMETHING THAT YOU JUST MADE, LIKE THE WAY YOU'D MAKE A TEST DRAWERS OR BUILD A HOUSE, TO BEING SOMETHING THAT IS VIBRATING IN RESPONSE TO A HUMAN INTERACTION.

IT IS NOT A LIVE EXACTLY, BUT IT IS LIKE IT IS ALIVE.

EVERY VIOLIN I MAKE, I KEEP REALLY EXHAUSTIVE RECORDS ON EVERY ASPECT ABOUT IT THAT I CAN.

WOULD CHOICE, MODEL, ARCHING, THICKNESS, WEIGHT, TAP TONES, VARNISHES, DIMENSIONS.

IF AN INSTRUMENT OF MINE COMES BACK AND I REALLY LIKE IT, I WANT TO MAKE ANOTHER ONE LIKE THAT.

I HAVE SOME RECORD OF WHAT I DID.

ON THE OTHER HAND, IF SOMEONE COMES IN AND SAYS WELL, YOU KNOW, IT IS JUST NOT AS OPEN AS IT SHOULD BE, OR IT'S NOT AS FOCUSED, I CAN LOOK AT MY NOTES.

I CAN SEE THAT I MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LITTLE CONSERVATIVE ON THAT ONE.

I MIGHT BE ABLE TO TAKE A LITTLE ROOM OF THE WOOD OUT.

THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT TOO FLEXIBLE.

MAYBE I SHOULD PUT IN A LITTLE BIT OF REINFORCEMENT.

YOU NEVER REALLY UNDERSTAND SOMETHING UNTIL YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT TO SOMEBODY ELSE.

IT IS PUTTING ME ON THE SPOT ALL THE TIME WHEN I TEACH.

MOST OF THE GREAT SHOPS, HISTORICALLY, INCLUDING ANTONIO STRADIVARI'S, OR STUDIOS.

THEY WANT A SINGLE LOAN ARTIST.

PEOPLE WORKING COLLABORATIVE WITH ULTIMATELY HIGH WORKING ASPECTS, ARE AT A HIGHER LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT THAN A SINGLE CLASS FOR SOURCING ARTIST.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I FEEL THAT IT IS A TRIBUTE TO THE SYSTEM THAT I PRACTICE.

I'M NOT A MAGICIAN, I BUILD THINGS BASED ON, WITH A METHOD AND TASTE ON SKILL.

IF I CAN CONVEY THAT, THEN IT IS SORT OF, YOU COULD SAY, PROOF OF CONCEPT.

ART NEVER EXISTS IN A VACUUM.

WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE THAT GO INTO IT?

WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF PEOPLE THAT ENTER THE FIELD?

IT IS PULLED FORWARD BY THE DEMANDS OF THE CLIENTELE, OF THE AUDIENCE.

I'VE HAD WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES WORKING WITH WONDERFUL MUSICIANS.

I GOT CONTACTED BY ISAAC STERN TO MAKE A COPY OF HIS INSTRUMENT.

TO ACTUALLY MEET HIM FOR ME, WAS LIKE IT WAS MEETING THE POPE OR SOMETHING.

HE IS LEGENDARY.

WHEN THE INSTRUMENT WAS FINALLY DONE, I BROUGHT IT TO MR. STERN, WHO WAS INCREDIBLY GRACIOUS.

WHEN MR. STERN PASSED AWAY, THE TWO INSTRUMENTS THAT I'D MADE FOR HIM WERE PART OF HIS ESTATE.

THEY WERE AUCTIONED OFF.

THE VIOLIN WAS RECENTLY SOLD TO CHAD HOOPES, WHO IS A WONDERFUL SOLOIST IN HIS 20s.

I THINK IT IS A REALLY FITTING PLACEMENT, AND I THINK MR. STERN WOULD BE VERY PLEASED.

IT WAS AN ODD FEELING TO SEE THE MY WORK HAS NOW LEFT MY PURVIEW.

IT HAS NOW ENTERED THE WORLD WHERE IT LIVES ITS OWN LIFE AND HAS ITS OWN STORY.

I FEEL LIKE I HAVE SEEN MY OWN WORK GO FROM, YOU KNOW, A DECENT ALTERNATIVE FOR A MUSICIAN, TO BEING SOMETHING THAT IS SOUGHT AFTER.

IT HAS ITS PLACE IN HISTORY OF ISLAND MAKING.

>> >>> NEWSEUM'S HAVE LONG BENEFITED FROM THE FORESIGHT OF INTREPID COLLECTORS.

CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER, CONTINUE THIS TRADITION IN 2016, WHEN THEY PROMISED THEIR COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL NATIVE AMERICAN ARTWORK TO THEM AT HER POLITY AND METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.

ART OF NATIVE AMERICA: THE CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER COLLECTION, CONTAINS OVER 100 OBJECTS AND REVISIONS MORE THAN 50 NORTH AMERICAN CULTURES.

PRESENTED IN THE AMERICAN WING, THE INSTALLATION REVEALS COMPLEX PERSPECTIVES ON THE COUNTRY'S PAST, AND AN EXPANSION OF WHO'S INCLUDED IN ITS NARRATIVE.

THE EXHIBITION WAS CREATED BY GAYLORD TORRENCE OF THE NELSON ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART IN KANSAS CITY, IN COLLABORATION WITH NATIVE AMERICAN SCHOLARS AND CULTURAL LEADERS.

>> THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, I THINK, ABOUT THIS EXHIBITION, OTHER THAN THE CELEBRATION OF NATIVE AMERICAN ART AND ARTISTS THAT CREATED THESE WORKS, IS THE FACT THAT IT IS BEING SHOWN, THESE WORKS ARE BEING SHOWN IN THE AMERICAN WING, WHICH IS THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM SINCE THE WING OPENED IN 1924.

IT IS MOMENTOUS FOR MOVEMENT IN TERMS OF RECOGNIZING NATIVE AMERICAN ART AS A FOUNDATIONAL ASPECT TO OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE.

EXHIBITIONS LIKE THIS ARE MEANT TO MOVE PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THAT IDEA THAT ALL NATIVE PEOPLES ARE THE SAME.

THEY WERE NOT AT ANY TIME, AND THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT TODAY.

IT IS NOT CHRONOLOGICAL, AND WE DID DECIDE TO LAY IT OUT BY GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS.

THE PROBLEM WITH THAT, IS THAT THESE CULTURAL AREAS THAT THEY WERE EVER IN THE GALLERY, DESIGNED TO KEEP THINGS OPEN AND PERMEABLE AND VISIBLE.

ALMOST ANYWHERE YOU STAND WITHIN THESE GALLERIES, YOU ARE PERHAPS A CULTURALLY RELATED AREA.

YOU ARE LOOKING INTO OTHER AREAS AS WELL, SUGGESTING A GREATER UNIVERSITY.

MOST OF THESE AREAS ARE CREATED IN A BACKDROP.

THIS IS THE ACHIEVEMENT.

IT IS EVEN GREATER.

I FIND THE WORKLOAD TO BE ONE OF THE MOST ASTONISHING OBJECTS IN THE VALERIE DIKER COLLECTION.

FIRST OF ALL, AS A SCULPTURAL WORK, IT IS SUBLIME IN TERMS OF ITS PROPORTION, THE ELEGANCE OF SHAPE.

IT IS A FUNCTIONAL WEAPON, IT WAS CARRIED TO WAR.

IT WAS ALSO AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.

FOR THE OWNER, THIS CLUB WAS INVESTED WITH A GREAT DEAL OF SPIRITUAL POWER.

THE DESIGNS ON ONE SIDE CONSIST OF SOME ZIGZAG LINES AT THE TOP, THEN A CIRCLE WITH A SHARP, SINGLE ZIGZAG LINE, EMANATING FROM THE FULL LENGTH OF THE CLUB.

THESE ARE GENERALLY LOAN SYMBOLS OF POWER.

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE CIRCLE IN A SINGLE LINE MAY REPRESENT THUNDER AND ONE STRIKE OF LIGHTNING.

ON THE OTHER SIDE IS, I THINK, THE MOST AMAZING DESIGN I'VE EVER SEEN ON A NATIVE AMERICAN WAR CLUB.

IT IS COVERED WITH STARS LIKE THE NIGHT SKY.

INCLUDING THE CONSTELLATION, PLEIADES.

WE BELIEVE THE CLUB COMES FROM THE PONY BECAUSE STARS WERE SO IMPORTANT IN THE PONY RELIGION.

YOU PICK THEM AS A GROUP OF OBJECTS.

YOU HAVE AMAZING IMAGES THAT ONE COULD IMAGINE.

THIS PARTICULAR MASK, REPRESENTS WHAT THEY DEPICTED ON.

THEY HAVE ANNUAL CEREMONIES IN THE DANCES THAT WERE INTENDED TO THINK THE ANIMALS.

THEY WERE GIVING THEMSELVES IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

THEY WOULD ENSURE THAT THERE WOULD BE A CONTINUOUS FLOW FOR NEW LIFE.

IT IS OFTEN SAID THAT THESE MASKS REPRESENT SOMETHING CALLED YUA, WHICH IS THE TRANSMISSION OF AN ONGOING SOUL.

IT DOESN'T REPRESENT SPECIFIC CREATURES, IT REPRESENTS ALL OF THOSE THAT HAVE EVER LIVED OR WILL LIVE IN THE FUTURE.

THE MASK IS TIMELESS IN THAT RESPECT.

IT PLACES THE TRAVERTINE PEOPLE IN A TIMELESS RELATION WITH ALL OF THE ANIMALS WITH WHOM THEY SHARED THEIR WORLD.

STANDING THERE WAS A PARTICIPANT IN THE BATTLE OF LITTLE BIG ONE.

HE WAS 16 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME.

THAT WAS IN 1876.

IN THE 1880S, STANDING BEAR WENT TO EUROPE WITH BUFFALO BILL'S WILD WEST SHOW.

HE MET AN AUSTRIAN WOMAN, THEY FELL IN LOVE, HE MARRIED HER, BROUGHT HER BACK TO PRYING RIDGE RESERVATION, AND STANDING BEAR BEGAN TO DEVELOP HIS ART.

HE BASICALLY TRIED TO BRING TOGETHER IN THIS PAINTING, SIX DIFFERENT EPISODES THAT HE REMEMBERED.

NOW, THEY DIDN'T ALL HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME, BUT WITHIN THE TRADITION OF WARRIOR ART, STANDING BEAR REPRESENTED THEM ALL AS THOUGH THEY WERE OCCURRING AT THE SAME TIME.

THERE ARE HORSES THAT ARE BEING RUN OFF, SEPARATED, LEAVING THE SOLDIERS ON FOOT.

THERE IS A DEPICTION OF A GROUP OF SOLDIERS THAT RAN DOWN THE HILL, AND WERE KILLED IN A RAVINE.

ANOTHER GROUP OF SOLDIERS TRIED TO BREAK AWAY ON HORSEBACK RIDING BACK TO THE SOUTH.

THEY WERE OVERTAKEN AND KILLED.

AND THEN, THERE WAS THE FINAL BATTLE ON THE HILL, INCLUDING A DEPICTION OF CUSTER HIMSELF.

THEY ALL ARE GREAT KIND OF SWEEPING BATTLE NARRATIVES, LIKE ONE WOULD EXPECT TO SEE IN THE GREAT PAINTING BATTLE PAINTINGS AND TAPESTRIES IN EUROPE, WHICH HE UNDOUBTABLY SAW.

CARRY BUFFALO WAS A MASTER BASKET MAKER.

SHE WAS PROMINENT IN THE 1920s AND 30s IN CALIFORNIA.

THIS PARTICULAR PIECE WAS HER FIRST ATTEMPT TO CREATE A BASKET OF THAT SKILL.

IT TOOK HER THREE YEARS.

MAYBE THE BEST WAY TO THINK ABOUT THE ACHIEVEMENT IN THAT BASKET, IS TO THINK ABOUT IT FIRST IN RELATION TO THE MATERIALS, WHICH REQUIRED AN ENORMOUS BODY OF EXPERT KNOWLEDGE IN TERMS OF KNOWING WHICH PLANTS TOGETHER, HOW TO PREPARE THEM, BEFORE THE BASKET WAS EVER BEGUN.

A BASKET OF THAT KIND WAS CREATED USING A QUILL TECHNIQUE WHICH BEGINS IN THE CENTER OF THE BOTTOM, AND STARTED UP WORD AND OUTWARD TO FORM THE SIDES OF THE OBJECT, AND THEN AT A CERTAIN POINT, THE MIDPOINT, BEGIN TO CURVE IN WORD TO REACH ITS FINAL FORM.

THERE WAS NO REVISION POSSIBLE.

SHE SIMPLY WOVE IT FROM THE BOTTOM UP TREATED WHEN YOU SEE THE PERFECTION IN THAT FORM, AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE TWO DIMENSIONAL DESIGN TO THE VOLUMETRIC SHAPE OF THE OBJECT, AND ULTIMATELY THE KIND OF TENSION THAT THAT FORM HOLDS, THE ACHIEVEMENT IS VISIBLE AND AMAZING.

THE OBJECTIVE IN PRESENTING THESE OBJECTS IN THE WAY THAT WE'VE DONE, IS TO RESPECT THEM AS WORKS OF ART, IS A SOPHISTICATED AND BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS.

>>> AND NOW, ANOTHER CURATOR'S CHOICE.

>> WELCOME TO THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THE CITY'S OLDEST MUSEUM, FOUNDED IN 1804.

MY NAME IS ROBERTA OLSON, AND I'M CURATOR OF DRAWINGS OF THE SOCIETY.

I LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THE RAPALJE CHILDREN.

WE HAVE GARRETT, GEORGE, AND, JOCKS.

THEY WERE PAINTED BY JOHN DURAN IN 1768.

IT IS AN INCREDIBLE PORTRAIT FOR THE NUMBER OF REASONS, WITH JOHN DURAN, WHO WAS PROBABLY REALLY UNKNOWN UNTIL 1766.

HE COMES FROM VIRGINIA TO NEW YORK FOR THE BEEKMAN FAMILY.

HE PAINTS SIX PORTRAITS OF THE CHILDREN, AND OF COURSE, GAINS AN INCREDIBLE REPUTATION.

RAPALJE FAMILY, WHO ARE ALSO A MERCANTILE FAMILY OF NEW YORK, HIRED HIM TO PAINT THE SIGNS OF THE FAMILY.

THIS PORTRAIT OF THE FOUR SIBLINGS IS AN EXAMPLE OF EARLY COLONIAL PORTRAITURE, AND IT'S ONLY ONE OF THE MANY STELLAR EXAMPLES IN OUR AMAZING COLLECTION OF THIS GENRE.

NOW, THIS IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PORTRAITURE OF THE TIME BECAUSE THERE ARE NO LANDSCAPES, NO BACKGROUNDS, AND YOU HAVE THESE FOUR SIBLINGS WHO, TO MY MIND, LOOK VERY CONTEMPORARY.

THEY ARE PAINTED BY JOHN DURAN IN THE STYLE THAT IS SOMEWHAT FLAT AT THIS TIME.

IT IS DEPENDING A GREAT DEAL ON OUTLINES.

IT THEY HAVE THESE BOLD, FLAT COLORS.

THEY ARE POSING IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY LOOK ASSURED.

ONE HAS HIS HAND IN HIS COAT, WHICH WAS AGAIN A TYPICAL POSTURE FOR A GENTLEMAN.

THE YOUNG LADY, HAS THIS BEAUTIFUL CHOKER, THIS DOUBLE STRAND OF PEARLS, AND IT IS AROUND HER NECK.

SHE IS HOLDING A ROSE, WHICH IS A SYMBOL OF LOVE AND ALSO FERTILITY.

SHE WOULD BE OF MARRIAGEABLE AGE SOON.

JOHN DURAN CUTS THE PAINTING, WHICH IS AGAIN A VERY 20th CENTURY, LATE 19th CENTURY TECHNIQUE.

WE DON'T SEE THE FEET.

IT IS A THREE-QUARTER PORTRAIT.

IT IS IMPLYING A RELATIONSHIP WITH US.

WE CAN EXCHANGE SPACE WITH THEM.

THERE IS SOMETHING WONDERFUL, BUT DYNAMICS AMONGST THE FOUR OF THEM.

THEY ARE USING THIS FOR ADOLESCENTS.

THEY ARE GOING DIRECTLY AT US.

THEIR EYES GRAB WAS.

WE FEEL AS THOUGH WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION.

I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED YOUR EXPERIENCE FOR THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AND HOPE THAT YOU WILL COME BACK TO VISIT US AGAIN TO EXPLORE THE RICHES OF THE COLLECTION.

>>> NEXT WEEK ON NYC-ARTS, A TRIP TO THE NOGUCHI MUSEUM IN QUEENS.

WITH ITS OWN TRANQUIL GARDEN, IT REFLECTS THE LEGACY OF NOGUCHI.

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

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

THAT IS WHY HE NEVER STOPPED MAKING FURNITURE.

HIS LAMP SERIES, PLAYGROUNDS, PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT, SETS FOR THEATER AND DANCE, HE HAD LONG COLLABORATIONS WITH PEOPLE LIKE MARTHA GRAHAM.

>> WE HAVE A PROFILE OF LaTOYA RUBY FRASER, A PHOTOGRAPHER, VIDEO ARTIST, AND ACTIVIST, WHOSE IMAGES GIVE VISIBILITY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE OFTEN FORGOTTEN.

>> IT IS A DUTY, A PRIVILEGE, AND HONOR TO BE ABLE TO USE THESE CAMERAS TO SERVE OTHERS, AND TO BRING A REAL HUMAN STORY FORWARD IN A COMPLEX SITUATION.

>> I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED OUR PROGRAM THIS EVENING.

I AM PHILIPPE de MONTEBELLO, ON LOCATION AT THE MORGAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM.

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING, AND I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

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

THE LEWIS TURNER FUND FOR DANCE.

ELISE AND JEFFREY BROWN.

CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER.

THE MILTON AND SALLY AVERY FOR TO ARTS FOUNDATION.

ELROY AND TERRY FOUNDATION.

ELLEN AND JAMES 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 13.

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 TREATED FIRST DEGREE.

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

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

IT IS STILL THE FIRST THING ON OUR MINDS.

>> BY SWANN GALLERIES.

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

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

INFORMATION AT SWANN GALLERIES.COM.