Sol LeWitt Art Installation Completed
Sol LeWitt Art at the 59th St-Columbus Circle subway station. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Rob Wilson.
A few days ago, the MTA announced the completion of the Sol LeWitt art installation at the 59th Street-Columbus Circle subway station. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release sent to me by the MTA:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority today announced that the major artwork by the late artist Sol LeWitt at the 59th Street-Columbus Circle subway complex, which is currently under rehabilitation, has been completed.
The artist created the proposal in 2004, and he selected the site, which is an expansive wall facing a double wide stairway and landing at 60th Street that leads from the mezzanine to the A, B, C, D and 1 trains. Titled “Whirls and twirls (MTA),” the artwork is 53 feet wide by 11 feet high and consists of 250 porcelain tiles, in six colors, each cut to meet the artist’s specifications.
“LeWitt’s genius comes through in this artwork, which is a major work of precision with its curves and bands in vibrant color that completely fills the space. It will become a landmark and is a great tribute to one of our major artists,” said MTA Chairman H. Dale Hemmerdinger.
Sandra Bloodworth, Director of Arts for Transit and Facilities Design, said: “This project was filled with challenges, as we prepared several samples of tile and glazes to meet with Mr. LeWitt’s approval and found a facility that could produce large tiles mandated by the design. Working with Arts for Transit, his family and colleagues helped bring the project to completion. It is a very special and unique creation because it is a permanent public installation of a wall drawing, executed in porcelain tile. Usually the wall drawings are executed in paint or pencil based on exacting instructions by the artist.”
The art is being installed as part of the rehabilitation of the 59th Street-Columbus Circle subway complex, which will bring the station into a state of good repair. In addition to the artwork, the project includes the installation of new lighting and tile flooring and construction of a new entrance at 60th Street and Broadway, a retail arcade, passenger restrooms and elevators that will make the complex fully accessible for customers with disabilities.
Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) is a celebrated artist who has had hundreds of solo exhibitions in museums and galleries worldwide since 1965. His work ranges from Wall Drawings, over 1100 of which have been executed, to photographs and hundreds of works on paper and extends to geometry based sculptures.
The Columbus Circle installation coincides with an exhibit, “Sol LeWitt: Forms Derived from a Cube,” an exhibition of Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings, gouaches and structures based on his transformations of the original cubic form. The exhibition will be on view from September 8 through October 17, 2009 at Pace Wildenstein, 32 East 57th Street, New York City. A 25-year long exhibition at Mass MOCA in North Adams, MA features 105 LeWitt wall drawings in a specially designed space.
Click here for a full size version of the picture above.
Click here for a full size version from a different angle.
Talk about a sure fire way to brighten your day or night!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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