Tilted Arc, Installation artwork at Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, United States
Tilted Arc was a weathering steel plate spanning 37 meters in length and 3.6 meters in height that divided Federal Plaza into two separate zones. The continuous wall ran in a gentle curve across the plaza, forming a solid barrier that blocked direct passage through the space.
Richard Serra created the work in 1981 through the GSA Art in Architecture Program, which commissioned art for federal buildings. After years of debate and a public hearing, the steel wall was removed in 1989 and placed in storage.
Office workers from surrounding buildings used the plaza daily as a passage and lunch spot, creating tension between their routines and the artwork's presence. The name refers to the leaning position of the steel wall, which deliberately divided the open space and altered how people moved through it.
The work stood at its original location for eight years and was accessible around the clock to anyone entering the plaza. Visitors had to walk around the entire length of the steel wall to reach the opposite side of the plaza.
Serra insisted the work was site-specific and that relocation would destroy its meaning entirely. The three steel segments were stored at a government facility in Maryland after removal, where they remain today.
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