For nearly 140 years, everyone arriving in New York has been greeted by the same landmark. Rising above Liberty Island, the Statue of Liberty has become one of the world’s most recognizable monuments: a symbol of freedom, the first sight of America for millions of immigrants and an inseparable part of New York’s skyline.
But there is one surprising detail: Lady Liberty is not originally from New York.
She was built in Paris.
This autumn, the Museum of Arts and Crafts revisits that largely forgotten chapter of the monument’s history. Opening on Sept. 22, 2026, the Museum of Arts and Crafts presents "Lady Liberty: Sweat, Daring, and Genius," an immersive exhibition exploring the French craftsmanship behind the famous Statue of Liberty.
Long before crossing the Atlantic, the monument took shape in workshops on Rue de Chazelles in Paris’ 17th borough, where hundreds of craftsmen transformed sculptor Auguste Bartholdi’s vision into reality. Between 1881 and 1884, around 300 copper sheets were hammered by hand and assembled at the workshops of Gaget, Gauthier & Cie before being dismantled, shipped across the ocean and reassembled in New York Harbor.
