The Madison Square Park Conservancy is in the last week of their current installation Walks of Life by artist Tony Cragg. British by birth, but living and working in Germany, Cragg designed and cast all of these bronze sculptures specifically for Madison Square Park. Known for his wavy pancake-like designs, each piece is a vivid contrast to the trees, now bare of their leaves, and the surrounding buildings. On the Oval Lawn sits a tripartite work meant to interact with each other from a variety of vantage points. Thus the name–Points of View.
Calera, on the West Gravel section of the park, rests on three points, allowing viewers the chance to walk beneath. The eighteen foot Mixed Feelings rests on the Northwest Lawn. As with most of the Madison Square Park installations, viewers of all ages are encouraged to walk around and through the pieces, exploring their relationship with each other and the surroundings.
Mr. Cragg has an interesting background, beginning his career as a lab technician for a rubber company from 1966 to 1968. In 1969 he enrolled at Gloucestershire College of Art and Design, went on to study at Wimbledon School of Art and then to the Royal College of Art. He relocated to Germany in 1977 where, as former Director, he currently teaches at the Kunstakademie of Dusseldorf. He is represented by Marian Goodman Gallery, New York/Paris.
The installation, which opened on September 18th, will be on view through February 8th. While you’re there, stroll on over to the fun Flatiron Plaza exhibit of Snow Monsters.
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