Central Park In Bronze

Location: 75th Street, east side 

Artist/Designer: Jose de Creeft, sculptor; Hideo Sasaki and Fernando Texidor, architects           

Materials: Bronze, Chelmsford granite

Installation: 1959

Funding: George Delacorte

 

Probably the most beloved statue in Central Park, Jose de Creeft’s Alice in Wonderland captures the imagination of storyteller Lewis Carroll through its interactive nature, caricature depictions, and fantastical proportions. The wealthy George Delacorte gave this statue to the children of New York to honor his wife Margarita, who read the story to their children.

 

In this wonderful grouping, a larger-than-life Alice sits atop a mushroom throne, holding court to the Mad Hatter, Dormouse, Cheshire Cat, and March Hare. The characters’ dress stays close to the story’s original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel. Children climb onto and under the statue, sit in Alice’s lap, and pat the dormouse. The base is surrounded by quotes from the book and Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky.”