Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Frieze New York 2025
feature

In pictures: Frieze week public art puts Manhattan in the pink

From Lily Kwong's installation in Madison Square Park to John Chamberlain's follies at the Rockefeller Center, works are catching the eye across the borough

Benjamin Sutton
7 May 2025
Share
The Venezuelan American artist Alex Da Corte’s Soft Power (2025) is on the High Line Billboard, adjacent to the High Line at 18th Street and 10th Avenue Photo: Timothy Schenck; courtesy the High Line

The Venezuelan American artist Alex Da Corte’s Soft Power (2025) is on the High Line Billboard, adjacent to the High Line at 18th Street and 10th Avenue Photo: Timothy Schenck; courtesy the High Line

As the weather warms, public art projects around New York are putting down roots and blossoming—in some cases literally. In Madison Square Park, Lily Kwong has teamed up with Madison Square Park Conservancy to plant Gardens of Renewal (2025), a two-part installation populated with native and endangered plants, pollinators and herbs. In the Garment District, Steve Tobin has erected New York Roots, a series of monumental steel sculptures of tree roots. Also in Midtown, three late sculptures by John Chamberlain (1927-2011) resembling giant follies crafted from aluminium foil are at Rockefeller Center.

And for visitors to Frieze New York, a stroll along the adjacent High Line will yield striking rewards—from Iván Argote’s majestic monument to the humble pigeon, Dinosaur (2024), and Teresa Solar-Abboud’s otherworldly floral sculpture Birth of Islands (2024) to Mika Rottenberg’s grotesque Foot Fountain (pink) (2024) and Alex Da Corte’s playful Pink Panther, Soft Power (2025).

The Colombian artist Iván Argote’s Dinosaur (2024), a High Line Plinth commission on view at the Spur, at 30th Street and 10th Avenue. The 21ft sculpture is cast in aluminium Photo: Timothy Schenck; courtesy the High Line

The Los Angeles-based artist and landscape designer Lily Kwong’s Gardens ofRenewal (2025) at Madison Square Park Rashmi Gill

The Spanish artist Teresa Solar-Abboud’s Birth of Islands (2024), on the High Line at 20th Street, is part of a series of zoomorphic shapes inspired by animals and prehistoric life forms Photo: Timothy Schenck; courtesy the High Line

The Pennsylvania native Steven Tobin’s New York Roots sculptures are on the Broadway plazas in the Garment District between 39th and 41st Streets Photo: Alexandre Ayer @ DiversityPics for the Garment District Alliance

The Argentina-born, New York-based artist Mika Rottenberg’s Foot Fountain (pink) (2024) is on the High Line at 30th Street. For walkers who need to cool off, the fountain is activated by the pedals nearby Liz Devin

Chamberlain Goes Outdoors at Rockefeller Center is an installation of three works bythe renowned American sculptor John Chamberlain (1927-2011) in the Center Plaza Courtesy Tishman Speyer

Frieze New York 2025Public artNew York City
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Public artnews
2 February 2023

Anish Kapoor’s shiny 'bean' sculpture in New York finally completed

Commissioned nearly 15 years ago, the bulbous outdoor artwork was delayed by the 2008 financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic

Benjamin Sutton
New York Citygallery
16 May 2023

From Harlem to Brooklyn: public art to see for free in New York this spring

The city's streets and parks are blossoming with sculptures

Benjamin Sutton
Public artnews
18 May 2023

A hot pink tree sculpture sprouts amid New York's leafy High Line

Pamela Rosenkranz’s Old Tree is on show close to the Shed, Frieze New York's venue

Benjamin Sutton
Public artnews
19 October 2022

Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith to create giant mosaics for new Manhattan train station

The 700,000 sq. ft Grand Central Madison, being built beneath Grand Central Terminal, will be home to permanent installations by the renowned artists

Benjamin Sutton