Artemis, Acrobats, Divas and Dancers: In a nod to both the Lincoln Center campus above, as well as the artistic character of the Upper West Side neighborhood, the walls of the 66th Street/Lincoln Center subway station are adorned with a series of 22 glass mosaic tiles by feminist artist Nancy Spero (1926-2009). Throughout the piece the central female icon of the opera, the Diva, is featured in various states of movement creating the illusion of dancing when viewed from a moving subway train.
Whirls and Twirls: The energetic porcelain tile wall drawing on the mezzanine wall of the 59th Street/Columbus Circle subway station entrance at Broadway and 60th Street is a creation of the late conceptual and minimalist artist Sol LeWitt (1928 – 2007), whose works can be found at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, London’s Tate Modern, and the Pompidou Center in Paris, to name a few. www.mta.info/art
Adam + Eve at Deutsche Bank Center
Appearing in many a tourist’s photograph, these supersized bronze sculptures on the ground floor of The Shops at Columbus Circle are the works of Columbian artist Fernando Botero, whose proportionally exaggerated figures in paintings and sculpture have brought him worldwide recognition.
Nina Chanel Abney, San Juan Heal: Nina Chanel Abney’s monumental work of art for the façade of David Geffen Hall pays homage to San Juan Hill. In the 1940s and 50s, this predominantly Black and Brown neighborhood was forcibly displaced to make way for redevelopment, including what would become Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Abney’s constellation of figures, words, shapes, and symbols reflects the thriving community that lived here. Featured residents include pioneering healthcare workers Edith Carter and Elizabeth Tyler. Also pictured are James P. Johnson, whose music gave rise to the Charleston dance craze, and Thelonious Monk, a pioneer of Bebop and other jazz styles. Reclaiming this important history in her bold and vibrant style, Abney aims to spark curiosity and inspire a more inclusive future.
