27. Oversized Rose Flower in Zuccotti Park

Photo by Timothy Schenck, courtesy Galerie Buchholz, Berlin/Cologne/New York 

Rose III, a new permanent installation, was unveiled on September 16th in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. The oversized rose is designed by artist Isa Genzken, who also did the two orchids at the 5th Avenue and 59th Street entrance to Central Park in 2016 for Public Art Fund. The rose stands at over 26 feet and is made of painted steel, based on an actual rose chosen by the artist. Genzken has a significant body of work dedicated to New York City and finds inspiration from its forms. She has said, “To me, New York had a direct link with sculpture…. [It] is a city of incredible stability and solidity.” The form of the rose evokes the skyscraper, but the work is also commentary on the object itself. According to a press release about the work, “For Genzken, also of interest is how these shifting meanings relate to shifting values: how roses were once a rare luxury item, and are now a widely available, nearly ubiquitous commodity.”

As suggested by its name, Rose III is the third in the series by Genzken – the first is in a private home, the second was on display at the New Museum from 2010 to 2013, and it is now part of the permanent collection at The Museum of Modern Art, viewable in the sculpture garden.