Ok Google Where Is Liberty Park Tile Art Sign

Fritz Koenig's "Sphere" on Liberty Park at the Globe Trade Heart.

Max Touhey

The best public art in NYC

Sculptures, murals, and everything in between

By Aug 6, 2018, 12:00pm EDT

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Fritz Koenig's "Sphere" on Freedom Park at the World Trade Center.

| Max Touhey

New York Urban center's museums aren't the but places to discover cute or thought-provoking fine art. Since 1967, when the showtime public art program was established in the city, a diverse assortment of agencies and institutions—including the MTA, the Public Art Fund, and the NYC Parks Section—have worked to enrich New Yorkers' lives past adding whimsical, colorful, and occasionally controversial artworks throughout the five boroughs.

Some of the city'southward best public art wasn't even sanctioned, at least not at first; witness many of Keith Haring's early pieces—including his famed "Crack Is Wack" mural—which was created without official consent. But whether it's metropolis-backed or non, 1 thing is certain: New York would be a very different identify without public fine art.

Here, we've gathered 20 of the best public artworks in New York City; unlike the temporary installations oft institute along the Loftier Line or in other high-traffic areas, these are pieces that have stood the test of fourth dimension, and will remain in place for years to come.

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Governors Island
New York, NY 11231

In 2016, Turner Prize-winning artist Rachel Whiteread installed this piece, a concrete bandage of a wooden shed, on one of Governors Isle's new hills. "I was really thinking nearly Thoreau and the American Romantics, as well as the opposite of that—the grimmer, darker underbelly of America and the idea that some solitary person might live in a unlike way," she told the Guardian at the time. "I worked very difficult to make something that wasn't screaming for attention, but something that would hopefully draw emotions." Mission accomplished—the shed amongst a pastoral landscape is in contrast to the skyscrapers of Manhattan beyond, and evocative of a identify other than New York.

Timothy Schenck

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ii. "Charging Bull," Arturo di Modica

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Broadway & Morris St
New York, NY 10004

When Arturo di Modica first installed "Charging Bull" in front end of the New York Stock Exchange in 1989, he intended it to be "a mode to gloat the tin can-do spirit of America and especially New York." In the more than than two decades since, it's also become one of the most popular tourist spots in the Financial Commune—if you walk past the statue, now situated at Bowling Green, on a random weekday, you're probable to encounter someone taking a photo of information technology'south, um, rear end. Interest in the statue was renewed when ad bureau installed "Fearless Daughter" across from it in 2017, and Di Modica registered his displeasure over the addition to the landscape.

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3. "Grouping of Four Copse," Jean Dubuffet

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One Hunt Manhattan Plaza
New York, NY 10005

The street-level public space at one Chase Manhattan Plaza (recently rebranded as 28 Liberty Street) is a harmonious marriage of works past several modern masters. The edifice itself is a Gordon Bunshaft design; below, in that location's the famed "sunken garden" by Isamu Noguchi. On the plaza itself, Jean Dubuffet'south "Iv Trees"—fabricated from aluminum and covered in fiberglass, and painted with squiggles and loops—is a whimsical counterpoint to Bunshaft'southward modern skyscraper.

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140 Broadway
New York, NY 10005

Isamu Noguchi'south massive steel sculpture is a site-specific installation on the plaza of 140 Broadway, a Modernist gem designed by Gordon Bunshaft for Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill. It balances, seemingly improbably, on i corner, cartoon the centre to its placement within the building'southward public plaza (a byproduct of the city'south zoning laws, which allowed for a taller skyscraper in exchange for open space). No less a critic than Ada Louise Huxtable called it a "vivid accent" confronting the dark steel of Bunshaft's tower.

Shutterstock

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155 Cedar St
New York, NY 10006

High german sculptor Fritz Koenig designed this 25-human foot statuary sculpture, which resembled a head covered in a helmet in its pristine state, as a counterpoint to builder Minoru Yamasaki'south sleek modernist towers at the original World Trade Center. It was badly damaged on 9/11, and for years had a temporary dwelling in Battery Park. Last year, it moved permanently to Liberty Park within the new WTC; now, amid the megaproject's gleaming glass towers, it serves every bit a reminder of what came before.

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6. "Subway Map Floating on a New York Sidewalk," Francoise Schein

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110 Greene St
New York, NY 10012

Belgian creative person Francoise Schein has produced several large-scale works in subway stations (in Paris, São Paolo, and Stockholm, to name a few), only for this NYC work, she brought the subway out to the street. The piece, which was installed in forepart of 110 Greene Street in 1985, was made using stainless steel, concrete, and recessed lighting; on her website, Schein notes that it represents "the near democratic place in all cities."

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Astor Pl
New York, NY 10003

Colloquially known equally the Astor Identify Cube, this monumental work by Tony Rosenthal was originally installed in Greenwich Village for a citywide showroom, put on by the New York Urban center Parks Department, chosen "Sculpture in Surroundings." It was the get-go fourth dimension that municipal agencies had come together to bring art by living artists to the urban mural, with the goal of introducing works of art to a larger audience. Information technology proved so popular that an anonymous donor gifted it to the city, and it's been a crucial part of the streetscape—barring a few brief hiatuses here and at that place—ever since.

Scott Lynch

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38-64 Christopher St
New York, NY 10014

George Segal's "Gay Liberation"—which features four figures, two male and two female, arranged effectually benches in Christopher Park—has been a Greenwich Village fixture for 25 years. The sculpture was intended to honor those who participated in the 1969 Stonewall Riots, and though funding bug and opposition to the project held it up for a decade, information technology was finally installed in 1992. At present, it'due south one of the focal points of the larger Stonewall National Monument, which encompasses the park and the Stonewall Inn.

Shutterstock

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Unlike the other work on this list, Max Neuhaus's "Times Square" isn't an artwork you can see—information technology'southward one you take to listen for, and amidst the chaos of Times Square, no less. To find it, head to the north terminate of the pedestrian island between 45th and 46th streets, and open your ears to the "rich harmonic sound texture." The work was showtime installed in 1977, and remained in place for 15 years; the Times Square BID brought it back in 2002, and it'south at present operated by the Dia Art Foundation.

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W 55th St & 6th Avenue
New York, NY 10019

The sculptural version of Robert Indiana's iconic "LOVE" graphic sits, appropriately, around the corner from the Museum of Modern Fine art; the image was first commissioned by MoMA for a Christmas card in 1965. Information technology may non be unique—at that place are dozens of other LOVE sculptures, including a famous i in Philadelphia—but information technology's still a perennially popular spot for photo-snapping tourists. This detail sculpture was installed in 1999.

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11. "Whirls and Twirls (MTA)," Sol LeWitt

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Columbus Cir
New York, NY 10023

There'due south no mistaking the 53-foot by 11-foot tile mural at the Columbus Circle subway station for annihilation but the work of Sol LeWitt. The piece is in LeWitt'south style of brilliant, swirling colors—it'due south appropriately called "Whirls and twirls (MTA)"—even though it was finished posthumously in 2009, five years after LeWitt'south death. The slice is an accommodation of one of LeWitt's signature wall drawings, executed in vibrant porcelain tile.

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12. Henry Moore, "Reclining Effigy"

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50 Lincoln Centre Plaza
New York, NY 10023

Sculptor Henry Moore created this site-specific piece of work—the only one of his pieces to exist created to sit down in the h2o—in the early 1960s, and it was installed inside the complex's reflecting puddle (recently renamed the Paul Milstein Puddle and Terrace) in 1965. Information technology'due south one of several pieces at Lincoln Center designed by prominent modern artists; Alexander Calder and Jasper Johns also take works within the complex.

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xiii. "The Affections of the Waters," Emma Stebbins

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Terrace Dr
New York, NY 10024

The statuary figure atop Primal Park's Bethesda Fountain has the distinction of being the first piece of public fine art created by a adult female—the sculptor Emma Stebbins—in New York City. It's meant to describe the Angel of Bethesda (equally in the pool in Jerusalem, which is described in the Bible); Stubbins "likened the healing powers of the biblical pool to that of the pure Croton water that cascades from the fountain," co-ordinate to the NYC Parks Department. It's appeared in endless movies and TV shows, from Angels in America to Police force & Lodge.

Shutterstock

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St. Nicholas Avenue and, Frederick Douglass Blvd
New York, NY 10027

The number of historic women depicted in statues or monuments in New York City is woefully low, a wrong that the city hopes to rectify in the coming years. But in the meantime, one of the best statues of a female person historical figure tin be plant in Harlem, where Alison Saar'southward "Swing Low"—a monumental artwork depicting Harriet Tubman, who led endless slaves to freedom along the Hugger-mugger Railroad—is situated on Frederick Douglass Boulevard. "I wanted to depict Harriet Tubman not then much as a usher of the Underground Railroad," Saar explained, "but every bit an unstoppable locomotive that continued to work towards improving the lives of slaves and freed slaves for most of her 91 years of life."

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Harlem River Dr
New York, NY 10035

Like many of Keith Haring's iconic works, the "Crack Is Wack" mural in East Harlem wasn't originally city-sanctioned. In fact, it nearly landed the artist in jail, until media attention led the urban center to back off. (You tin read the full history of the slice here.) Now, information technology'southward perhaps Haring's nearly famous extant NYC landscape; the playground it's located in was fifty-fifty renamed for the piece in the 1990s. Alas, it'southward currently off-limits equally the playground undergoes a renovation.

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16. "Mother Unhurt's Garden," Shinique Smith

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721 Malcolm 10 Blvd
New York, NY 10039

A bus depot at the corner of 146th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem features a big-scale piece of work created by Shinique Smith, which was inspired by a child'south drawing. The depot is named for Clara Hale, who founded a Harlem charity for abandoned children. Smith incorporated materials constitute around the neighborhood into her piece, which was ultimately rendered on the side of the building in colorful glass mosaic.

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17. "Luminescence," Nobuho Nagasawa

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Center Blvd
Long Island City, NY 11101

In the new Hunter'southward Point South Park, a collaboration betwixt sculptor Nobuho Nagasawa and mural architect Thomas Balsley brings the moon to Queens—sort of. The piece, "Luminescence," features 7 huge concrete domes, which are arranged to represent the phases of the moon.

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The Unisphere may be the improve known landmark that's leftover from the 1964 World's Fair, but Jose De Rivera's swooping steel work, while not as huge, is no less worth a visit. The minimalist piece features a slice of curved steel placed on a black granite pedestal; there'southward also a motor that allows the piece to rotate. According to the NYC Parks Section, "De Rivera'due south sculptures have been compared to 'cartoon in infinite'"—plumbing equipment for the '64 World's Fair, which had many elements that nodded to the Infinite Race of the solar day.

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274 36th St
Brooklyn, NY 11232

French artist Camilla Walala brought i of her colorful, Memphis-inspired pieces to the side of a drab Dusk Park edifice this spring. Walala says that her artwork reflects an "enthusiasm for playful, graphic patterns" and draws on influences from the Memphis Design move, the Ndebele tribe and Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely. "The site is bathed in the most cute colors at sunset, which has inspired my palette for the project," she notes.

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Bank Street
Staten Isle, NY 10301

The September 11 Memorial on Staten Island was built in 2004 and remembers the 275 borough residents who were killed in the September 11 attacks and 1993 Globe Merchandise Centre bombing. The design is the work of New York architect Masayuki Sono and is calledPostcards after the 2 30-foot pillars that are lined with plaques begetting the proper name and birthdate of those who perished in the attacks. The ii structures frame the infinite on the skyline where the original Earth Trade Center towers once stood.

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1. "Motel," Rachel Whiteread

Timothy Schenck

In 2016, Turner Prize-winning artist Rachel Whiteread installed this piece, a concrete cast of a wooden shed, on i of Governors Island's new hills. "I was actually thinking about Thoreau and the American Romantics, also as the opposite of that—the grimmer, darker underbelly of America and the thought that some lone person might live in a unlike style," she told the Guardian at the time. "I worked very hard to make something that wasn't screaming for attention, only something that would hopefully depict emotions." Mission accomplished—the shed amongst a pastoral landscape is in contrast to the skyscrapers of Manhattan beyond, and evocative of a place other than New York.

Governors Island
New York, NY 11231

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two. "Charging Bull," Arturo di Modica

When Arturo di Modica starting time installed "Charging Bull" in front end of the New York Stock Exchange in 1989, he intended it to exist "a fashion to celebrate the can-do spirit of America and peculiarly New York." In the more than than two decades since, it'south besides get one of the most pop tourist spots in the Financial District—if y'all walk by the statue, now situated at Bowling Green, on a random weekday, you're likely to encounter someone taking a photo of it's, um, rear cease. Interest in the statue was renewed when advertisement agency installed "Fearless Daughter" beyond from it in 2017, and Di Modica registered his displeasure over the addition to the landscape.

Broadway & Morris St
New York, NY 10004

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3. "Group of Iv Trees," Jean Dubuffet

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The street-level public space at 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza (recently rebranded every bit 28 Liberty Street) is a harmonious union of works by several modern masters. The building itself is a Gordon Bunshaft design; beneath, there'due south the famed "sunken garden" by Isamu Noguchi. On the plaza itself, Jean Dubuffet's "Four Copse"—made from aluminum and covered in fiberglass, and painted with squiggles and loops—is a whimsical counterpoint to Bunshaft'due south modern skyscraper.

One Chase Manhattan Plaza
New York, NY 10005

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4. "Red Cube," Isamu Noguchi

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Isamu Noguchi'south massive steel sculpture is a site-specific installation on the plaza of 140 Broadway, a Modernist jewel designed by Gordon Bunshaft for Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill. It balances, seemingly improbably, on one corner, drawing the eye to its placement inside the edifice's public plaza (a byproduct of the city's zoning laws, which immune for a taller skyscraper in exchange for open up space). No less a critic than Ada Louise Huxtable called information technology a "brilliant accent" against the nighttime steel of Bunshaft'south tower.

140 Broadway
New York, NY 10005

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five. "The Sphere," Fritz Koenig

German sculptor Fritz Koenig designed this 25-human foot bronze sculpture, which resembled a caput covered in a helmet in its pristine state, equally a counterpoint to architect Minoru Yamasaki's sleek modernist towers at the original World Merchandise Center. It was desperately damaged on 9/11, and for years had a temporary home in Battery Park. Last twelvemonth, it moved permanently to Liberty Park within the new WTC; now, amid the megaproject'due south gleaming drinking glass towers, information technology serves as a reminder of what came before.

155 Cedar St
New York, NY 10006

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6. "Subway Map Floating on a New York Sidewalk," Francoise Schein

Belgian artist Francoise Schein has produced several large-calibration works in subway stations (in Paris, São Paolo, and Stockholm, to proper noun a few), simply for this NYC work, she brought the subway out to the street. The piece, which was installed in front of 110 Greene Street in 1985, was made using stainless steel, concrete, and recessed lighting; on her website, Schein notes that it represents "the most democratic identify in all cities."

110 Greene St
New York, NY 10012

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7. "Alamo," Tony Rosenthal

Scott Lynch

Colloquially known as the Astor Place Cube, this monumental piece of work past Tony Rosenthal was originally installed in Greenwich Hamlet for a citywide exhibit, put on past the New York City Parks Section, called "Sculpture in Environment." It was the first fourth dimension that municipal agencies had come together to bring fine art by living artists to the urban mural, with the goal of introducing works of art to a larger audience. It proved so popular that an anonymous donor gifted it to the city, and it'south been a crucial part of the streetscape—disallowment a few brief hiatuses hither and there—ever since.

Astor Pl
New York, NY 10003

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8. "Gay Liberation," George Segal

Shutterstock

George Segal'southward "Gay Liberation"—which features four figures, ii male person and two female person, bundled around benches in Christopher Park—has been a Greenwich Village fixture for 25 years. The sculpture was intended to honor those who participated in the 1969 Stonewall Riots, and though funding bug and opposition to the projection held it up for a decade, information technology was finally installed in 1992. Now, it'south i of the focal points of the larger Stonewall National Monument, which encompasses the park and the Stonewall Inn.

38-64 Christopher St
New York, NY 10014

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9. "Times Foursquare," Max Neuhaus

Dissimilar the other work on this list, Max Neuhaus's "Times Square" isn't an artwork you tin can encounter—it's one you lot accept to heed for, and amid the chaos of Times Square, no less. To find it, head to the northward end of the pedestrian island betwixt 45th and 46th streets, and open your ears to the "rich harmonic audio texture." The work was get-go installed in 1977, and remained in place for 15 years; the Times Foursquare BID brought it back in 2002, and it's now operated by the Dia Art Foundation.

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• Foursquare

10. "Love," Robert Indiana

Shutterstock

The sculptural version of Robert Indiana's iconic "Love" graphic sits, appropriately, around the corner from the Museum of Modernistic Art; the image was commencement commissioned by MoMA for a Christmas carte in 1965. It may not be unique—there are dozens of other LOVE sculptures, including a famous one in Philadelphia—but it's still a perennially popular spot for photo-snapping tourists. This particular sculpture was installed in 1999.

W 55th St & 6th Artery
New York, NY 10019

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11. "Whirls and Twirls (MTA)," Sol LeWitt

There's no mistaking the 53-foot by 11-foot tile mural at the Columbus Circumvolve subway station for anything only the work of Sol LeWitt. The piece is in LeWitt's way of bright, swirling colors—it'south appropriately chosen "Whirls and twirls (MTA)"—even though it was finished posthumously in 2009, 5 years after LeWitt's death. The piece is an adaptation of 1 of LeWitt's signature wall drawings, executed in vibrant porcelain tile.

Columbus Cir
New York, NY 10023

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12. Henry Moore, "Reclining Effigy"

Shutterstock

Sculptor Henry Moore created this site-specific work—the just one of his pieces to exist created to sit in the water—in the early 1960s, and it was installed inside the complex's reflecting puddle (recently renamed the Paul Milstein Pool and Terrace) in 1965. It'south one of several pieces at Lincoln Center designed by prominent mod artists; Alexander Calder and Jasper Johns also have works within the complex.

l Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY 10023

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13. "The Angel of the Waters," Emma Stebbins

Shutterstock

The bronze figure atop Central Park's Bethesda Fountain has the distinction of beingness the first piece of public art created by a woman—the sculptor Emma Stebbins—in New York City. It's meant to depict the Angel of Bethesda (as in the puddle in Jerusalem, which is described in the Bible); Stubbins "likened the healing powers of the biblical pool to that of the pure Croton water that cascades from the fountain," according to the NYC Parks Department. It'due south appeared in countless movies and Television receiver shows, from Angels in America to Law & Order.

Terrace Dr
New York, NY 10024

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xiv. "Swing Low," Alison Saar

The number of celebrated women depicted in statues or monuments in New York Urban center is woefully low, a incorrect that the city hopes to rectify in the coming years. But in the concurrently, one of the best statues of a female person historical effigy can be found in Harlem, where Alison Saar's "Swing Depression"—a monumental artwork depicting Harriet Tubman, who led countless slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad—is situated on Frederick Douglass Boulevard. "I wanted to describe Harriet Tubman not so much as a usher of the Underground Railroad," Saar explained, "but as an unstoppable locomotive that continued to work towards improving the lives of slaves and freed slaves for most of her 91 years of life."

St. Nicholas Artery and, Frederick Douglass Blvd
New York, NY 10027

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xv. "Scissure Is Wack," Keith Haring

Like many of Keith Haring's iconic works, the "Crack Is Wack" mural in Eastward Harlem wasn't originally city-sanctioned. In fact, information technology nigh landed the artist in jail, until media attention led the urban center to back off. (Y'all can read the full history of the piece here.) At present, it'southward perhaps Haring'southward most famous extant NYC mural; the playground it'south located in was even renamed for the piece in the 1990s. Alas, information technology's currently off-limits as the playground undergoes a renovation.

Harlem River Dr
New York, NY 10035

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16. "Female parent Hale'south Garden," Shinique Smith

A charabanc depot at the corner of 146th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem features a large-scale work created past Shinique Smith, which was inspired by a child'south cartoon. The depot is named for Clara Unhurt, who founded a Harlem charity for abandoned children. Smith incorporated materials found around the neighborhood into her piece, which was ultimately rendered on the side of the building in colorful drinking glass mosaic.

721 Malcolm X Blvd
New York, NY 10039

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17. "Luminescence," Nobuho Nagasawa

In the new Hunter'southward Point S Park, a collaboration between sculptor Nobuho Nagasawa and landscape builder Thomas Balsley brings the moon to Queens—sort of. The piece, "Luminescence," features seven huge concrete domes, which are bundled to represent the phases of the moon.

Eye Blvd
Long Island City, NY 11101

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xviii. "Free Form," Jose De Rivera

The Unisphere may be the meliorate known landmark that's leftover from the 1964 World'south Fair, but Jose De Rivera's swooping steel work, while not as huge, is no less worth a visit. The minimalist piece features a piece of curved steel placed on a black granite pedestal; in that location'south also a motor that allows the slice to rotate. According to the NYC Parks Department, "De Rivera'southward sculptures have been compared to 'drawing in space'"—fitting for the '64 World's Fair, which had many elements that nodded to the Space Race of the day.

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19. Camille Walala mural

French artist Camilla Walala brought one of her colorful, Memphis-inspired pieces to the side of a drab Sunset Park building this spring. Walala says that her artwork reflects an "enthusiasm for playful, graphic patterns" and draws on influences from the Memphis Design movement, the Ndebele tribe and Hungarian-French creative person Victor Vasarely. "The site is bathed in the well-nigh beautiful colors at sunset, which has inspired my palette for the project," she notes.

274 36th St
Brooklyn, NY 11232

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twenty. "Postcards," Masayuki Sono

The September 11 Memorial on Staten Island was built in 2004 and remembers the 275 borough residents who were killed in the September eleven attacks and 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The design is the work of New York architect Masayuki Sono and is calledPostcards afterward the two 30-foot pillars that are lined with plaques bearing the name and birthdate of those who perished in the attacks. The 2 structures frame the infinite on the skyline where the original World Trade Center towers once stood.

Banking company Street
Staten Isle, NY 10301

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