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Giuseppe Mazzini

History

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found postedwithin the park.

This bronze portrait bust of Italian patriot Giuseppe Mazzini (1805–1872) was created by Italian-born sculptor Giovanni Turini (1841–1899). Located in Central Park along the West Drive at 67th Street, the piece was donated by a group of Italian-Americans and unveiled in 1878.

Mazzini was born in Genoa, Italy. Trained as a lawyer, he worked for the unification of Italy during the mid-19th century, organizing uprisings and influencing political opinion even while in exile. Mazzini helped to found the Giovine Italia (“young Italy”) movement, which attracted likeminded patriots such as Giuseppe Garibaldi, who is honored with a sculpture by Turini that was installed in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park in 1888. It is said that 80,000 people attended Mazzini’s funeral in Pisa in 1872.

Two phrases describing Mazzini’s philosophy, ,i>Dio E Il Populo (“God and the people”) and Pensiero Ed Azione (“thought and action”), are inscribed on the granite pedestal. Pensiero Ed Azione is also the name of a publication Mazzini founded in London in 1858. In 1994 the Central Park Conservancy restored and cleaned the Mazzini sculpture.

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Giuseppe Mazzini Details

  • Location: West Drive opposite 62nd St.
  • Sculptor: Giovanni Turini
  • Architect: F. Matriati
  • Description: Portrait bust on pedestal
  • Materials: Bronze, Westerly granite
  • Dimensions: H: 14'1" W: 3'10" D: 3'10"
  • Dedicated: 1878
  • Foundry: G. Fisher & Bros Brnz Works
  • Fabricator: F. Malnati, Woodlawn, NY
  • Donor: Italians in the United States of America
  • Inscription: FRONT: GUISEPPE MAZZINI
    RGHT: DIO E IL POPULO
    LFT: PENSIERO ED AZIONE

    REAR: PRESENTED / TO THE CITY OF NEW YORK / BY THE ITALIANS / IN THE
    U.S. OF AMERICA / 1878

Please note, the NAME field includes a primary designation as well as alternate namingsoften in common or popular usage. The DEDICATED field refers to the most recent dedication, most often, butnot necessarily the original dedication date. If the monument did not have a formal dedication, the yearlisted reflects the date of installation.

For more information, please contact Art & Antiquities at (212) 360-8163

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Know Before You Go

Ice Skating Rinks
Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)
The Harlem Meer Center is closed in order to rebuild the facility to increase access to nearby communities and enhance year-round programming. For more information, visit Central Park Conservancy's Rebuilding Harlem Meer Center page.
Anticipated Completion: Spring 2024
Outdoor Pools
Harlem Meer Center
The Harlem Meer Center is closed in order to rebuild the facility to increase access to nearby communities and enhance year-round programming. For more information, visit Central Park Conservancy's Rebuilding Harlem Meer Center page.
Anticipated Completion: Spring 2025

Partner Organization

Central Park Conservancy

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