Tilted Arc

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tilted Arc was a sculpture commissioned by the U.S. General Services Administration's Arts-in-Architecture program for the Federal Plaza in New York, NY. It was designed by Richard Serra and constructed in 1981, and dismantled, after much debate, in 1989.

1 Commission
2 Design
3 Controversy
4 Fictional references
5 Sources cited

[edit] Commission

In the mid-1970s the Art-in-Architecture program decided to commission a work of public art to grace the open space in front of a planned addition to the Jacob Javits Federal Building. Richard Serra was selected as the artist by the GSA administrator, after having been recommended by an NEA panel of art experts.

[edit] Design

The sculpture was a solid, black-painted plane of steel, 120 feet long (36.6 meters), 12 feet high (3.66 meters), and 2.5 inches thick. As its name suggests, it was slightly tilted. Serra said of the design, "The viewer becomes aware of himself and of his movement through the plaza. As he moves, the sculpture changes. Contraction and expansion of the sculpture result from the viewer's movement. Step by step the perception not only of the sculpture but of the entire environment changes." [1]

[edit] Controversy

For several reasons, the sculpture was strongly opposed by many, led by Judge Edward Re. First, there was outrage at the cost: $175,000 for a solid, black block of steel. Second, it was regarded as an eyesore by many, and was a genuine inconvenience to some, who in the course of walking through the plaza had to go out of their way to go around the massive sculpture. It also attracted graffiti and, according to some, rats.

A public hearing was held on the subject of the sculpture in March of 1985, with 122 people testifying in favor of keeping the stature, and 58 in favor of removing it. A jury of five voted 4-1 to remove the sculpture. The decision was appealed by Serra, but the sculpture was eventually dismantled by federal workers on March 15, 1989.