Up close and personal with Columbus statue - New York News | NYC Breaking News

Up close and personal with Columbus statue

Most people have always viewed the statue of Christopher Columbus from the streets, but now you can go 70 feet up and find yourself face to face with the more than 100-year-old monument.

At first glance this room looks like it could be in any one of our homes. Then you see it:  the statue of Christopher Columbus, 31 feet tall.

"To be able to see it up this close and look out the windows and see the vistas of New York is really an amazing experience," said one exhibit visitor.

This "living room" suspended over Columbus circle is the work of Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi. Since 1997 Nishi has been fabricating rooms like this around monuments and pieces of art across the globe. Now he brings his work to New York, building a living room where Columbus is literally center stage standing on a coffee table.

"I invited Tazu to come to New York to look around the city and see what he would like to do," said Nicholas Baume, the director of the Public Art Fund. "He came up with a list of things but his number one was the statue of Columbus in Columbus Circle."

When the scaffolding first started going up around the iconic statue, people weren't sure what to make of it.

"It was a little disconcerting at first, I actually thought they were putting the scaffolding up to clean the statue," said one local resident. "Then I heard there was going to be this installation. Now that I'm here it's really exciting and really special. It's really kind of amazing. It totally changes your perspective to see it up this close."

You can get your up close and personal view of the statue of Columbus in Columbus circle by clicking on this link. Tickets are free and the exhibit runs through November 18.