By Ilana Siyance
The New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 5th Avenue is preparing for a new exhibit. On display will be hundreds of diverse indispensable treasures highlighting over 4,000 years of history.
On Monday, the library announced the exhibit, which will open for viewers on September 24. Free tickets will be available for pickup as of Aug. 23. “The Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures” was named after $12 million donor Leonard Polonsky and his foundation. As reported by the NY Post, rarities on display will include: Jefferson’s handwritten copy of The Declaration of Independence; George Washington’s handwritten Farewell Address; Charles Dickens’s writing desk, chair, and paper knife; a lock of Beethoven’s hair; the first edition sheet music of “The Star Spangled Banner”; The Gutenberg Bible printed in 1455, and more. The exhibit will be a permanent fixture in the Gottesman Hall at the newly restored and renovated library, and will feature 250 objects that have altered the course of history. Though the exhibit will be permanent, the items on display “will change and evolve over time,” the library said, with new items being added, and other objects being taken off display due to preservation concerns.
The items on display were handpicked for the exhibit from its personal collection of over 45 million rare books, artwork. manuscripts, maps, newspapers and more that it has amassed over the last 126 at its research centers, NYPL said. The Exhibit has been organized into nine sections. “Each section highlights the stories behind the individual objects selected, as well as their contributions to a broader historical narrative,” NYPL said.
The items were specially curated by a team of NYPL research staff led by Declan Kiely, the NYPL’s Director of Special Collections and Exhibitions. “The two chief functions of this exhibition are to provide visitors with an emotional experience and a mine of practical truth,” Kiely said. “I believe that one of the main reasons these treasures are here in the center of New York City is so that the greatest number of people can freely see them.”
For ease of use and guidance, an exhibit companion book, “Treasures of The New York Public Library” has been published, having been funded by Dr. Polonsky’s wife, Dr. Georgette Bennett. “The New York Public Library is an iconic institution with a trove of buried treasures,” said donor Leonard Polonsky in a statement. “I’m delighted to help bring them to the surface so that the public can forever share in them.
