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Each week we bring you four of the most interesting objects from the world’s museums, galleries and art institutions, hand-picked to mark significant moments in the calendar. Two major events in infrastructure history are connected across 21 years – bridged, you might say – by today’s date, 24 May. On one side is the opening of Westminster Bridge in its current form in 1862 (though a bridge had existed there in some form since the mid 18th century).
On the other is the opening of Brooklyn Bridge in 1883, the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time. Marvels of engineering that seem to embody resilience, transitions and connections across time and cultures, bridges have long been a captivating subject in art, perhaps most famously in Monet’s series depicting the Japanese-style bridge over the water lilies in his garden in Giverny. Here we commemorate the anniversaries of the unveiling of two iconic structures by looking at four items that capture both the aesthetic and the utilitarian appeal of bridges.
The Brooklyn Bridge: Variation on an Old Theme (1939), Joseph Stella. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; © Estate of Joseph Stella The Brooklyn Bridge: Variation on an Old Theme (.
