Description
Winner, 2019 New York City Book AwardFor decades, Philip Ashforth Coppola has meticulously documented the New York City subway in a series of extraordinary drawings, detailing the terracotta mosaics, faience, and tile patterns that millions of riders pass by every day. Coppola's drawings are what Hyperallergic calls "the most encyclopedic history of the art and architecture of the New York City subway system." Along with Coppola's intricate ink drawings are anecdotes he assembled through painstaking research involving hundreds of hours poring through microfilms to discover the names behind the artisanship of what is rightly called New York's largest public art work---its legendary subway system.Philip Ashforth Coppola's drawings have been featured in the New York Times, Hyperallergic, and on the BBC and are included in the New York Transit Museum's permanent collection. Foreword by Jonathan Lethem.
Editorial Reviews
Time Out New York
Architecture and underground interest, well, underground--beneath Gotham's streets. Collected here for your perusal, Philip Ashforth Coppola's intricate drawings celebrate our subway's decorative elements, from overlooked mosaics and terra-cotta plaques to faience medallions and cornices.
Design Issues
A cross between an artist and an archeologist, [Philip Ashforth Copolla] has documented the New York City subway with historical descriptions, specifications, and detailed black and white line drawings that cover typography, terra cotta mosaics, faience, and tile patterns--all of which are rarely noticed by the millions of riders passing by every day--but are well illustrated in this book.