George Greenamyer
Cornelius Vanderbilt, Chief Rogue of the Railroad Robber Barons
In art, as in life, Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) towers over the industry he helped create and expand. Vanderbilt, an entrepreneur and ruthless businessman, amassed a fortune by building empires of steamship and railroad transportation in the mid-19th century. By rapaciously crushing his competitors, he became one of the richest and most powerful men in American history. And unlike many of his wealthy contemporaries, he was not an active philanthropist.
George Greenamyer is among America’s most successful public artists, with permanent commissions in over thirty cities from Fairbanks, Alaska to Miami, Florida. He works primarily in forged, painted steel to create historically site-specific narratives in an accessible, brightly-colored, folk art style. Greenamyer’s work is particularly appropriate for Trainscape: he is inspired by the mechanics and aesthetics of steam locomotives, and he has created public artworks for several train stations, including a mythical history of the State of New Jersey at Penn Station, New York.
Image: George Greenamyer, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Chief Rogue of the Railroad Robber Barons, (detail), 2007, Lent by the Artist