All Photos By Gail
A group of nine naked male mannequins has appeared in an empty Gramercy Park storefront. I noticed them for the first time a couple of weeks ago, when I was on my way to a dentist appointment in the area and happened to exit the 6 Train on East 22nd Street — directly adjacent to the storefront.
I didn’t have my camera with me at that time, but I had it when I was in the neighborhood today!
The statues, by New York City-based artist Richard Dupont, are somewhat larger than life-size and portray the male form in anatomically accurate proportions. Originally on display in Midtown’s Lever House, their current home is within a block of a preschool and a secondary school. I am almost surprised that they were still there, to be honest; considering how prudish people can be when they are exposed to a peen.
The art installation, visible through the newly installed plate-glass windows on the ground-floor of the former Church Missions House, will be on display throughout the summer. Built in 1892, the seven-story Gothic structure was bought by Aby Rosen’s RFR Realty last year for $50 million with plans to convert to a single-tenant office building with ground-floor retail space.
