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The Falconer

The Falconer was originally created for the city of Trieste, Italy by British sculptor George Blackall Simonds (1843-1929) and first shown at London's Royal Academy in 1874. New York merchant George Kemp (1826-1893) admired the sculpture and commissioned this full-scale replica for Central Park that was dedicated on May 31, 1875. The statue has suffered damage from weather and vandals over the years and was first saved from toppling in 1937. A new falcon was attached in 1957 but vandalism ultimately forced the City to move the statue into storage. The statue was given a new arm and falcon and restored to its original location in 1982 and the Central Park Conservancy performed additional restoration and preservation work in 1995.

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