About this Event
The NYU Institute of French Studies and La Maison Francaise de NYU invite you to join us for an advanced screening of "Lady Liberty: Secrets of an Icon," a film by Gedeon Programmes made for PBS and ARTE.
Synopsis:
Visionary artist and skilled self-promoter, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi pioneered inventive fundraising campaigns in France and the United States, an early form of crowdfunding, to finance the Statue of Liberty. The film traces his
transatlantic journeys, the statue’s gradual creation, and the powerful
symbolism it carried at its inauguration in October 1886. Alongside
Bartholdi, it highlights key figures such as Édouard de Laboulaye, who
conceived the idea of the gift, and Joseph Pulitzer, whose press campaign
mobilized public support to complete the funding.
Blending cinematic drama with original footage filmed in historic locations
across France and the United States, the film grounds its storytelling in
rigorous scholarship, drawing on archival and previously unseen
documents to illuminate the political turmoil shaping both nations during
the statue’s long creation. Featured contributors include François
Blanchetière, Chief Curator of Sculpture and Architecture at Musée
d’Orsay, Juliette Chevée, Heritage Curator and Director of the Bartholdi
Museum in Colmar; Edward Berenson, historian and author of The Statue
of Liberty: A Transatlantic Story; Robert Snyder, historian of New York City; and Professor Sharon Ann Holt of the University of Pennsylvania, among other leading American historians.
Following the 55-minute film, there will be a panel discussion with
Edward Berenson, Professor of History and director of the IFS, NYU
Michele Mitchell, Professor of History, NYU
Annie Polland, President of the Tenement Museum
Trailer: https://mubi.com/en/us/films/lady-liberty-secrets-of-an-icon
Event venue & nearby stays
La Maison Française NYU, 16 Washington Mews, New York, United States
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