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Richard Serra

Tilted Arc Defense Fund Poster 1989

poster

  
An arc is a section of a circle. In the case of Serra's massive steel sculpture, the rest of the circle is implicit in the curve established by the arc. However, what we are considering in this case is not the sculpture itself, but the controversy surrounding its removal. The events leading up to the dismantling of the public artwork are chronicled in several books and will likely be covered in art history courses for some time to come. What will ultimately prove the most enduring aspect of a piece that was not allowed to endure, will be the account of that disallowance.