Since its founding in 1898, the Art Commission of the City of New York (ACNY) has served as the city s aesthetic gatekeeper, evaluating all works of art intended for display on city property. And over the years, the commission s domain has expanded dramatically to include everything from parks and courthouses to trash cans and sidewalks. In "The""Politics of Urban Beauty," Michele H. Bogart argues that this unprecedented authority has made the commission host to some complex negotiations involving artists, architects, business leaders, activists, and politicians about not only the role of...