The MTA arts collection just got bigger! New public art installations by famous names such as Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith are now accessible to the public after yesterday’s opening of Grand Central Madison, the LIRR terminal below Grand Central Terminal. The highly anticipated opening of the concourse brings with it eight new tracks and a handful of eye-catching art installations. Check out photographs of the art in Grand Central Madison from our opening day trip to the brand-new terminal!
1. A Message of Love, Directly from My Heart unto the Universe by Yayoi Kusama
Internationally renowned artist Yayoi Kusama’s glass mosaic piece brings a shock of color to the Madison Concourse level between 46th and 47th Streets. Titled A Message of Love, Directly from My Heart unto the Universe (2022), the vibrant work measures 120 feet wide by 7 feet tall, for a total coverage area of approximately 875 square feet. “This new, flowing composition, originating from her extensive body of My Eternal Soul paintings spills energy and joy out into the Grand Central Madison passageway. The mural is a journey itself, inspiring incredible moments as you walk along the grand mosaic artwork,” explained Sandra Bloodworth, Director, MTA Arts & Design.
The Art of Grand Central Madison
The mosaic features abstract and figurative images that look like faces, the sun, or even microscopic cells. They are meant to evoke the themes of Love, universe, and peace for all mankind, a message central to Kusama’s work. A poem written by Kusama accompanies the mosaic, which was fabricated by Miotto Mosaics Art Studios:
This is Yayoi Kusama.
I offer you a message of love, directly from my heart unto the universe.
May you all experience the true beauty of loving humanity.
Human life is beautiful.
My wish is to deliver this vision, with all that is my life, to the people of New York.