The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection and Plaza Memorials

Nelson A. Rockefeller, one of the greatest art patrons of the recent past and as yet unheralded for the extraordinary legacy he left behind, had an inspired vision for New York State's capital. While governor of the state from 1959-1973 he undertook what was at the time the most ambitious public art project ever conceived-one which set the standard for public funding in the arts. The result of this ambitious project was an unrivaled collection of modern and contemporary art, which boasts nearly 100 works of art, all of which are in public view in Albany. The collection includes work by Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Helen Frankenthaler, Donald Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, David Smith, Robert Motherwell and many other important artists. The beautifully illustrated volume, which features six 4-page gatefolds, includes expert essays by major scholars and curators including John Elderfield, Robert Storr and Pepe Karmel, all of The Museum of Modern Art. Glenn Lowry, current director of The Museum of Modern Art contributes a substantive essay on the collection and Rockefeller's extraordinary efforts to form it. The second essay, written by the collection's curator, offers the first indepth look at the politics surrounding the formation of the collection.

Dennis Anderson has been the curator in charge of the Empire State Art Collection since 1988.

Glenn Lowry is the director of the Museum of Modern Art.