The ''Alice in Wonderland'' sculpture is located at

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City, U.S. It is approximately at 74th Street, on the north side of

Conservatory Water Conservatory Water is a pond located in a natural hollow within Central Park in Manhattan, New York City. It is located west of Fifth Avenue, centered opposite East 74th Street. The pond is surrounded by several landscaped hills, including Pil ...

. The bronze statue stands eleven feet high and portrays

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

surrounded by the Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat and other characters from the book enjoying a tea party.

History

The statue was created in 1959 by

José de Creeft José Mariano de Creeft (November 27, 1884 - September 11, 1982) was a Spanish-born American artist, sculptor, and teacher known for modern sculpture in stone, metal, and wood, particularly figural works of women. His 16 ft bronze ''Alice i ...

under the commission of

George Delacorte George T. Delacorte Jr. (20 June 1894 – 4 May 1991) was an American magazine publisher, born in New York City. He founded the Dell Publishing in 1921. His goal was to entertain readers who were not satisfied with the genteel publications a ...

, so children could experience Alice in Wonderland in person. The sculpture was originally cast at the Long Island

Modern Art Foundry The Modern Art Foundry is an historic foundry in Astoria, Queens, New York, founded in 1932 by John Spring. His descendants continue to operate the business in what used to be the carriage house of the Steinway Mansion. Modern Art Foundry special ...

in the

Steinway Mansion The Steinway Mansion (also the Benjamin Pike, Jr. House) is a home on a one-acre hilltop in the Astoria section of Queens, New York City. It was built in 1858, originally on on the Long Island Sound, by Benjamin Pike Jr., born in 1809, a note ...

. The sculpture is unique because visitors are encouraged to interact with the statue. The statue is made of bronze and was derived from images John Tenniel created for the original publication. The face of Alice is actually based on Creeft's daughter, Donna. The sculpture's Mad Hatter is a caricature of George Delacorte. At the base of the sculpture are engravings from Lewis Carol's poem Jabberwocky. The sculpture was dedicated to George's wife Margarita whose name is located at the base of the sculpture. Additionally, there are six plaques located around the base of the sculpture that depict her favorite moments from Alice in Wonderland.

Controversies

* The statue was the subject of a foiled terrorist plot in April 2020. Kevin Fallon was arrested for plotting to blow up the statue, as well as threatening to kill several others. He was sentenced to psychiatric care and evaluation. * There has been an ongoing debate since the sculpture was erected within the city of NY, over whether the statue depicts the White Rabbit, or the March Hare.

Gallery

References

{{Public art in Manhattan Sculptures in Central Park Sculptures in New York City Outdoor sculptures in New York (state) 1959 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Manhattan Bronze sculptures in New York (state)

History

Controversies

Gallery

See also

References