NEW YORK.- The Gallery at The Park Avenue Bank is pleased to present Young New York: Paintings and Sculpture from the New-York Historical Society, on view July 26 – September 7, 2007. The New-York Historical Society was New York’s first museum, founded in 1804, and has inspired visitors for over 200 years to embrace the richly textured history of our nation as seen through the prism of New York City and State. The Society is a treasure trove of American history, housing a wealth of fine and decorative art objects from the seventeenth century to the present. The N-YHS museum contains some of the 60,000 items defining four centuries of American life, including paintings, sculpture, furniture, clothing, toys, tools, textiles, ceramics, glass, and artifacts.

The Society also holds one of the nation’s premiere collections of historic American art, including representations of young people. This selection of paintings and sculpture shows how ideas about childhood evolved during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in New York and beyond. During this period childhood became a distinct phase of life, a unique time of innocence reserved for learning and play. These evocative images demonstrate how over time, children were portrayed more and more as individuals who were, nevertheless, also represented as family members.

"We are delighted to participate in this innovative program," says N-YHS Vice President and Museum Director Linda S. Ferber. "Forging a partnership with the Park Avenue Bank that allows New York audiences to explore the rich museum collections held in this city and elsewhere."

Through exhibitions such as this one, drawn from extensive museum and library collections, the Historical Society is committed to its overall mission of using these collections to help New Yorkers understand the complex and diverse issues in American history, which contributed to the world we know today. The New-York Historical Society, located at 170 Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults; $7 for seniors and educators; $6 for students; and free to members and children under 12. For more information, call (212) 873-3400 or visit www.nyhistory.org.