"Subway Riders" (detail); Ralph Fasanella; New York City; 1950; Oil on canvas; Gift of Ralph and Eva Fasanella, 1995.8.1. (
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It was the tweet that went viral to kick off 2020: "All my New Yorkers, which is the best seat?" posted Gabe (@gabefromthebx) on New Year's Eve. New Yorkers from around the city chimed in and debated the numbers. Within a week, the tweet had 19.5 thousand likes. (Seats 1, 5 and 4 seemed at a glance to be the most popular responses.)
Inspired by the subway seat question, the American Folk Art Museum (@afamuseum) put up its own social media posts, including this one on Instagram:
"Hey New Yorkers! Have you weighed-in on the great subway seat debate of 2020? All of this train talk has us thinking about Ralph Fasanella’s 'Subway Riders.' We're curious: what do you do while your ride? Do you read the news? Take a quick nap? Stare straight ahead? Swipe left, choose a number, and let us know in the comments. ⠀⠀
"While you consider your choice, read Fasanella's poetic and thoughtful take on riding the New York City subway: ⠀⠀
"Everyone is separate, alone, but very much together. It’s noisy with the creaks and squeals, but peaceful, too, because we move to a rhythm and cadence that gets inside us; that’s comforting, like the noise of the city itself."⠀