f you plan on visiting the New York State Capitol Building between now and May 13, be sure to stop by the Governor’s Reception area to catch a glimpse of the new portrait bust of Governor Herbert H. Lehman, created by artist John Belardo of the Art Department.

Completed in 2004, the bust stands 29” x 21” x 16” (by contrast, a life-sized bust would measure half these dimensions). It was commissioned by Lehman College for the 35th anniversary of the College’s founding, which coincided with the 100th anniversary of Governor Lehman’s birth.

Belardo based the bust, cast in bronze, on a compilation of photographs in the Herbert H. Lehman Papers at Columbia University. He sought to capture a timeless image of a public servant whose career in office spanned four pivotal decades of American history.

Herbert H. Lehman was dedicated to public service and social reform. As Governor of New York State during the Great Depression, he helped to implement the minimum wage, unemployment insurance and public housing programs. During World War II, he served as the first Director-General of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, directing the largest international relief effort in history. As a U.S. Senator, he fought against McCarthyism and anti-immigration legislation.

You can view the bust at Lehman when it is returned to the College later this year.