Photo: Trevor Lloyd
In 1981, Richard Serra created a work commissioned by the United States General Services Administration’s Art in Architecture program. Serra, who was already a recognized artist in the Minimalist movement in New York, built a 120 foot long, 12 foot high steel sculpture that he named Tilted Arc. Meant to interact with passerby and affect their perception of space. However, many believed the sculpture to be hideous, and a heated public debate resulted in the removal of the sculpture from its location in Foley Federal Plaza, Manhattan. Upon being asked to move the work, Serra protested that the site-specific work could not be placed anywhere else, and it has not been exhibited since.
