Little Katz's

Alan Wolfson is a master of the miniature. He has shown us a miniature Canal Street and talked with us about his tiny Times Square. Now he shares the wonders of his little Katz's deli.



Commissioned by a former New Yorker who wanted a work to remind him of his childhood days at the deli, the piece is called "Closing Time."

Alan writes, "Since I don’t put miniature people in my pieces how could I justify that a restaurant that is always crowded had no customers lining up for their world famous pastrami sandwiches? I decided to create a scene that takes place right after closing time, during the cleanup. Dirty plates are waiting to be removed, chairs are stacked on the tables and mops and buckets are at the ready."



And this isn't Katz's 2012, either. The exterior wall is papered in posters for Blondie, The Ramones, and Patti Smith. Alan's work comes from the greasy, gritty 1970s and 80s. This griminess is obvious in the mini Katz's, where a layer of exhaust fumes and degradation seems to coat every tiny salami and Lilliputian neon sign.



Looking at it, slipping into its obsessively detailed interior, you can imagine the real thing isn't surrounded by glassy high-rise condos and hotels filled with Country Club kids.

See the whole thing on Alan Wolfson's website.


More miniature NYC:
Little Gritty City
Mini Canal
Model New York
Unreal Ideal Hosiery
Mini Mars Bar