Press Release

Earth's Fantastic Natural Beauty Featured in a Series of Aerial Photographs at the Science, Industry and Business Library

Artist Yann Arthus-Bertrand Captures the "Earth from Above: An Aerial Portrait on the Eve of the Year 2000," October 26, 1999-January 29, 2000

The photographs of Yann Arthus-Bertrand portray the marvels of the natural world and man's presence as seen from the air. This fascinating series of giant color photographs is on view in Earth from Above: An Aerial Portrait on the Eve of the Year 2000,in Healy Hall of The New York Public Library's Science, Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Avenue at 34th Street, October 26, 1999 through January 29, 2000. Admission is free.

Mr. Arthus-Bertrand traveled for five years, photographing in 60 countries. Helicopters and airplanes became the vantage points from which he worked, enabling him to capture the incredible beauty and complexity of the Earth and its features. Many of the images highlight topographical patterns, either man- or nature-made. He also finds interesting ways of showing the scale of man's building against that of the Earth. Whether depicting a sleeping Rio de Janeiro at dawn, or a colony of birds on an Icelandic cliff island, these photographs have incredible power and complexity.

The exhibition is made possible, in part, by Fuji Film, and coincides with the publication of a book of Mr. Arthus-Bertrand's photographs, EARTH FROM ABOVE, published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. It is also one of five exhibitions related to scientific imagery this fall at The New York Public Library. The other four are at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

Exhibition hours for Earth from Above: An Aerial Portrait on the Eve of the Year 2000 at the Science, Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Avenue at 34th Street, are Monday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. For more information about Library exhibitions and hours, call 212-869-8089 for a recorded message.

The Science, Industry and Business Library is one of four research libraries of The New York Public Library. Opened in May 1996, its mission is to provide free traditional and electronic information in the fields of science and business in support of education, research, and entrepreneurial initiatives. For more information, call 212-592-7000.

A full-color book of Yann Arthus-Bertrand's photographs will be published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. this November, also entitled EARTH FROM ABOVE. Mr. Arthus-Bertrand's photography project was produced under the sponsorship of UNESCO, Fuji Film, and Corbis, and the book features nearly 200 photographs and essays on the Earth's ecosystems at the dawn of the new millennium. www.abramsbooks.com

Four additional exhibitions at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library have been organized on different aspects of science and medicine. The seminal images of scientific discovery from the 13th through early 20th centuries are on view in a centerpiece exhibition, Seeing Is Believing: 700 Years of Scientific and Medical Illustration (October 23, 1999 - February 19, 2000). Sight/Insight: Visual Commentaries on the Physical World (September 18, 1999 - January 8, 2000) includes more than 80 prints, portfolios, and illustrated books by contemporary artists who have drawn inspiration from the natural and physical sciences. Berenice Abbott: Science Photographs (October 2, 1999 - January 8, 2000) shows more than 40 science-themed prints by the great photographer. Humorous drawings by Charles Addams of perilous and bizarre discoveries by scientists and explorers can be enjoyed in Adventures in Science and Exploration: Drawings by Charles Addams (September 10, 1999 - January 29, 2000).

The Library's Public Education Program will also present a series of six illustrated lectures in which scholars explore the history and future of representing scientific and medical concepts. For ticket information on the lecture series, call 212-930-0571.

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revised, th: 10-08-99