This post originally appeared at Untapped Cities.
At Untapped New York, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best of New York’s cultural life and nightlife.
Previously, we shared our picks for the best hidden bars in the City.
Now we’re bringing your our list of the Top 10 Bars where artists have left their mark, from Upper East Side institutions like Bemelmans Bar and the King Cole Bar in the St. Regis to the trendy Ace Hotel, with a collage by street artist Michael Anderson.
Though a couple of cocktails at some of these bars might be a bit of a splurge, we think it’s worth it for the chance to soak up the atmosphere in these one-of-a-kind places.
After all, you won’t find these works of art anywhere else in the world.
Bemelmans Bar
In exchange for one and a half years of room and board for himself and his family, Ludwig Bemelmans painted the walls at the Hotel Carlyle Bar in 1947.
As a result, the bar was renamed Bemelmans Bar.
The murals depict Central Park throughout the seasons with a cameo by Madeline.
Bemelmans Bar is located at 35 East 76th Street in the Hotel Carlyle.
The bar has an entertainment calendar that is worth checking out, including performances by Woody Allen & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band (yes, that Woody Allen).
Alternatively, if you have children, or for the child in you, perhaps the bar’s Madeline’s Buffet is more appropriate.
Whether you are going to Bemelmans Bar to see jazz or to have a cocktail, you will be rewarded with Ludwig Bemelman’s only public work of art.
Murals on 54
Murals on 54 is located in the Warkwick Hotel’s former Raleigh Room, both of whose names were derived from Dean Cornwell’s works of art.
In 1937, publisher and Citizen Kane, William Randolph Hearst, commissioned Dean Cornwell to paint a mural for the restaurant at the Warwick Hotel, which he owned.
Cornwell painted the 1584 scene of Sir Walter Raleigh receiving his charter from Queen Elizabeth I and Raleigh landing at the lost colony of Roanoke.
Cornwell and Hearst reached a barter agreement for the murals. However, their agreement is a lesson in why one should never barter with an artist.
As a result of a dispute which arose from the agreement, Cornwell painted, what one journalist at the time described as “one of the most colorful spots in the City.”
Cornwell’s revenge art included a depiction of a man urinating on the Queen, another man urinating on Sir Walter Raleigh, and an American Indian without his pants.
Cornwell and Hearst eventually worked out their differences and Cornwell painted over one of his colorful additions. As a result of the controversy surrounding Cornwell’s creativity, the mural on the left side of the restaurant was covered for more than forty years.
The murals were recently restored and add to the ambiance of the restaurant.
Dean Cornwell was chosen by Hearst because of his reputation and his abilities. He was known as the Dean of American Illustrators.
Born in 1892, Cornwell worked his way through magazine illustrations (for Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, and Good Housekeeping) before becoming the President of the Society of Illustrators in 1922.
In the late 1920s, Cornwell began his career as a muralist. His commissions graced the Los Angeles Public Library, the Detroit Athletic Club, Rockefeller Center, New York’s General Motors Building at the 1939 World’s Fair, the Bethlehem Steel Company, the New England Telephone headquarters building in Boston, and The 21 Club.
Cornwell died in 1960, but his work is still coveted. The Warwick Hotel was approached by The Museum of Modern Art, who wanted to purchase Cornwell’s murals for $100,000. Patrons at Murals on 54 are lucky the hotel declined the museum’s offer.
The Leopard at Des Artistes
The Leopard occupies the storied space at 1 West 67th Street, that once housed Café des Artistes in the 1917 George Mort Pollard Gothic designed Hotel des Artistes.
It was said to be the largest studio building in the world, when it was completed, and was the fifth studio building on the block.
The Café des Artistes was created to provide meals for residents of the Hotel des Artistes, many of whose apartments had no kitchens, but who would buy their own ingredients for the chefs to prepare.
In the 1920s, American illustrator, and Hotel des Artistes resident, Howard Chandler Christy, painted a series of nine murals, entitled “Fantasy Scenes with Naked Beauties,” on the walls of the restaurant.
In August 2009, Café des Artistes closed and in May 2011, The Leopard opened.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider