Photo by Colleen Farrell.
A sculpture of a seeing-eye dog that’s part of a Broadway public art display was ripped from its bolts outside the 72nd street subway station and carried down to Riverside Park this weekend, where it was left resting against a tree near 73rd street.
The move “appears to have been a prank,” a spokesman for the exhibit told us.
And while the artist, Tony Matelli, is considering filing a police claim over the theft/vandalism, he also sounded supportive of the vandal in an interview with artnet News.
“It’s almost the perfect realization of the work,” Matelli said. “It’s quite nice and beautiful.”
artNews says the sculpture weighs 100 pounds, so it was no easy lift.
The sculpture was taken into custody by the city, and Matelli will consider whether it should be restored back outside the subway station. It’s part of a larger exhibit of sculptures called Broadway Morey Boogie that stretches from Columbus Circle to 166th street on Broadway.
Here’s what it looked like when it was first installed (we also heard from one tipster a while ago that someone had attempted to beg for change next to the dog as if it was the person’s pet).
Maybe Sherlock Holmes can help?
Indeed — Holmes would no doubt happily help with the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.
Gregory (Scotland Yard detective): “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”
Holmes: “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”
Gregory: “The dog did nothing in the night-time.”
Holmes: “That was the curious incident.”
Very clever!
And, as the Monty Python crew sang in “Life of Brian” … “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life!”
Pourquoi? Because this is one dog that no one will ever have to pick up after.
🙂
When did it happen, this weekend? 😉
Poor dog probably hadn’t been walked in the park in YEARS
Why are there no cameras at/near the subway station?
They were stolen.
What a shame that nothing is safe. I loved seeing the dog sculpture for its realism and soothing message, and enhanced Verdi Square.
LOVE THE DOG – ALWAYS MADE ME SMILE. OF LATE, THOUGH, THERE WERE AREAS ON HIS [HER?] BACK WHERE PAINT HAD CHIPPED AWAY – WAS HOPING ARTIST WOULD REPAIR. PLEASE RETURN GIUSEPPE, VERDI SQ’S PE