The two lions guarding the entrance to the New York Public Library’s Main Branch get most of the attention. Often overlooked is this sculpture of a woman sitting sidesaddle on a horse. She is aptly called “Beauty.” It was sculpted from marble by Frederick MacMonnies in 1920 and then placed in this architectural niche above a four-tier water fountain. The model for this sculpture was Audrey Munson. She posed for so many statues in New York City (somewhere between 15 and 19) that she became known as the American Venus.
