Whirls and Twirls (MTA)

Artist: Lewitt, Sol

With: Dattner Architects, architect

Status: In Situ

Title: Whirls and Twirls (MTA) (mosaic)

Dates: Proposed 2004; Completed 2009.

Medium: Ceramic Tile 

Dimensions: H. 11 ft. x L. 53 ft. 

Description: A vibrantly colored abstract composition of curving and linear rectangles. 

Owner: Metropolitan Transit Authority, New York, New York

Located 59th Street-Columbus Circle, A, B, C, D, 1 lines

Remarks: Working with Dattner Architects, Lewitt originally proposed the mosaic in 2004 and created drawings and maquettes of the project, reviewed and selected materials, and approved color samples prior to his death in 2007. As was often the case LeWitt was primarily concerned with the concept or idea of the work and rarely executed the final piece himself, creating instead detailed instructions. Consisting of 250 porcelain tiles in six colors–blue, green, orange, purple, red, and yellow–each cut and arranged to the artist’s precise specifications, the mosaic was completed in 2009 and covers an expansive wall that faces a double-wide stairway and landing that leads from the mezzanine to the platforms of the A, C, B, D, and 1 trains. LeWitt also created two works fabricated in granite for the flooring of the station: a compass at the foot of the 59th Street Elevators; and a star in the 58th Street Passageway.

References: Bloodworth, Sandra and William Ayres, New York’s underground Art Museum: MTA Arts & Design, New York: Monacelli Press, 2014, 44.