Tilted Arc
Encyclopedia
Tilted Arc was a sculpture
commissioned by the United States General Services Administration
's Arts-in-Architecture program for the Federal Plaza in New York, NY, USA. It was designed by Richard Serra
and constructed in 1981, and dismantled, after much debate, in 1989.
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.
, opposed the sculpture. Reasons included its cost ($175,000 for a solid block of steel); the fact that many people found it an eyesore; and the inconvenience to those who had to walk around the massive sculpture as they crossed the plaza. It also attracted graffiti
and, according to some, rat
s. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/visualarts/tiltedarct.html
A public hearing was held on the subject of the sculpture in March 1985, with 122 people testifying in favor of keeping the piece, and 58 in favor of removing it. A jury
of five voted 4–1 to remove the sculpture. The decision was appealed by Serra, leading to several years of litigation in the courts, but the sculpture was dismantled by federal workers on March 15, 1989. The next year saw enactment of the Visual Artists Rights Act
(VARA).
satirized these events in his 1994 novel, A Frolic of His Own
.
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
commissioned by the United States General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
's Arts-in-Architecture program for the Federal Plaza in New York, NY, USA. It was designed by Richard Serra
Richard Serra
Richard Serra is an American minimalist sculptor and video artist known for working with large-scale assemblies of sheet metal. Serra was involved in the Process Art Movement.-Early life and education:...
and constructed in 1981, and dismantled, after much debate, in 1989.
Commission
In the mid-1970s the Art-in-Architecture program decided to commission a work of public artPublic art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
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
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
panel of art experts.
Design
The sculpture was a solid, unfinished plate of COR-TEN 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." http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/visualarts/tiltedarc_a.htmlControversy
Many people, prominently Chief Judge Edward D. ReEdward D. Re
Edward Dominic Re was a United States lawyer and judge and, in 1968, served as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.-Biography:...
, opposed the sculpture. Reasons included its cost ($175,000 for a solid block of steel); the fact that many people found it an eyesore; and the inconvenience to those who had to walk around the massive sculpture as they crossed the plaza. It also attracted graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
and, according to some, rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/visualarts/tiltedarct.html
A public hearing was held on the subject of the sculpture in March 1985, with 122 people testifying in favor of keeping the piece, and 58 in favor of removing it. A jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
of five voted 4–1 to remove the sculpture. The decision was appealed by Serra, leading to several years of litigation in the courts, but the sculpture was dismantled by federal workers on March 15, 1989. The next year saw enactment of the Visual Artists Rights Act
Visual Artists Rights Act
The Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 , , is a United States law protecting artist rights.VARA was the first federal copyright legislation to grant protection to moral rights...
(VARA).
Fictional references
William GaddisWilliam Gaddis
William Thomas Gaddis, Jr. was an American novelist. He wrote five novels, two of which won National Book Awards and one of which, The Recognitions , was chosen as one of TIME magazine's 100 best novels from 1923 to 2005...
satirized these events in his 1994 novel, A Frolic of His Own
A Frolic of His Own
A Frolic of His Own is a novel by William Gaddis. Published in 1994 by Poseidon Press, A Frolic of His Own was Gaddis's fourth novel. It received the American Book Award and the National Book Award in 1994....
.
Sources cited
- 1. Culture Shock: Richard Serra's Tilted Arc on the PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
website
External links
- Richard Serra's Tilted Arc (1981) http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/martin/art_law/tilted_arc.htm
- Tilted Arc http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/asc/projects/comm544/library/images/819.html (includes an image)
- Tilted Arc Defense Fund Poster http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Tilted-Arc-Defense-Fund-Posters_i855968_.htm (includes a view from above)
- More Pictures of Tilted Arc http://www.english.ilstu.edu/students/llserri/repurposing/tiltpic.htm
- The cover of The Destruction of Tilted Arc: Documents http://mitpress.mit.edu/images/products/books/0262231557-f30.jpg (shows the dismantling of the piece)