Tilted Arc

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Tilted Arc is a controversial large-scale site-specific steel sculpture by Richard Serra that was installed in New York City’s Federal Plaza in 1981 and later removed after intense public debate.

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Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf minimalist sculpture
site-specific sculpture
artist Richard Serra NERFINISHED
cannotBeReinstalled artist considers work destroyed if moved
commissionedBy GSA Art-in-Architecture Program NERFINISHED
U.S. General Services Administration NERFINISHED
commissionedFor Jacob K. Javits Federal Building plaza NERFINISHED
country United States of America
creator Richard Serra NERFINISHED
criticizedFor disrupting pedestrian traffic
perceived ugliness
security concerns
culturalImpact became case study in art law
influenced U.S. public art policy
sparked debate on artists’ rights
currentLocation in storage
dateInstalled 1981
dateRemoved 1989
designedAs non-relocatable artwork
genre minimalism
hasWorkType large-scale sculpture
outdoor sculpture
height 12 feet
3.7 metres
inception 1981
legalCaseOutcome Serra lost in federal court
length 120 feet
36.6 metres
locationBorough Manhattan NERFINISHED
locationCity New York City NERFINISHED
locationInstalled Federal Plaza NERFINISHED
Foley Square NERFINISHED
material COR-TEN steel
weathering steel
movement Minimal art
notableFor controversy over public art
landmark public art legal debate
opposedBy many federal employees
shape curved steel wall
siteSpecificTo Federal Plaza NERFINISHED
status dismantled
subjectOf lawsuit by Richard Serra against the U.S. government
public hearings in 1985
supportedBy many artists and art critics
yearOfCommission 1979

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Richard Serra notableWork Tilted Arc