Beneath the towering steel and glass of 28 Liberty Street, a whimsical gathering awaits. This is the Group of Four Trees, not the leafy kind you’d climb, but a playful dance of concrete and imagination. Commissioned by David Rockefeller in 1972, the Group of Four Trees rises 40 feet tall, a bold counterpoint to the rigid lines of the surrounding skyscrapers. Created by French artist Jean Dubuffet, a champion of “art brut” (raw art), these trees are a three-dimensional echo of his vibrant paintings and drawings. Look closely. You’ll see no leaves, no roots, just organic shapes swirling upwards, a splash of red, white, and blue against a black backdrop. Dubuffet, who once called Greenwich Village home, saw these forms as “unleashed graphisms,” drawings that burst free from the page. He envisioned them as “rumbling and threatening,” yet somehow whimsical, like a giant’s playful puzzle pieces. At the time of its unveiling, the Group of Four Trees held the title of New York City’s largest outdoor sculpture. It sparked conversations, raised eyebrows. Some saw giant mushrooms, others a playful clash between nature and the man-made world. But one thing was clear: Dubuffet had injected a dose of joyful chaos into the heart of the Financial District. He called the plaza, with its towering buildings, a “celebration of reason, logic, and calculations.” And into this world of straight lines and sharp angles, he brought his organic, unruly trees, a reminder that even in the most structured environments, there’s always room for a touch of the unexpected.
Gould Family Mausoleum
Ever heard of a “Robber Baron?” Here at Woodlawn Cemetery stands the Gould Family Mausoleum. It is a testament to