Pop Art on the Roof

One of the things I love about summer in NYC, is hanging out at a rooftop garden or bar and enjoying the view. My favorite “local” rooftop is the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden at the Metropolitan Museum. This place offers an amazing summer mix: a spectacular view of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline, great drinks, and, of course – art. Last Friday night I checked out their current summer exhibit, “Jeff Koons on the Roof”. The three giant, colorful Pop sculptures, mounted in this beautiful and dramatic outdoor space, are worth a trip to the Upper East Side… The biggest and most spectacular sculpture is the yellow “Balloon Dog”. I love the dog’s nose that really looks like the end of a balloon. The red sculpture, Sacred Heart, reminds me of a giant wrapped candy. What I particularly love about the sculptures is that they are highly reflective. Every surface reveals an interesting reflection of the skyline as well as the audience. The third sculpture, entitled “The Coloring Book”, looks like a giant mirror, painted with various colors. It apparently represents a silhouette of Piglet from a “Winnie the Pooh” coloring book. All giant sculptures actually represent something small: A toy dog, made out of twisted balloons; a candy, wrapped in red foil; and a silhouette in a coloring book. The Met rooftop garden is the perfect place to mount these wonderful large scale Pop sculptures — I can’t imagine them in any indoor gallery. The Martini Bar offers great drinks, if you don’t mind standing in line for quite a while. They also offer beer at a separate counter for the less patient visitors. I highly recommend Brooklyn Summer Ale, especially for their label design! If looking at a wrapped candy makes you hungry, you can extend your Upper East Side visit and have dinner at Vespa Restaurant. There is another garden waiting for you – no view, but delicious Italian food and wine.