Sky Gate, New York

Sky Gate, New York
Artist	Louise Nevelson
Completion date	1978
Dimensions	520 cm × 980 cm (17 ft × 32 ft)
Condition	Destroyed in September 11 attacks in 2001
Coordinates	40.712°N 74.013°W / 40.712; -74.013

Sky Gate, New York was a sculpture by the artist Louise Nevelson, located in the mezzanine of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York, from 1978 until its 2001 destruction in the collapse of the buildings during the September 11 attacks.[1][2]

Nevelson was inspired by a New York skyline view she had seen from a flight from New York to Washington, saying the work was a translation of the skyline, calling her sculpture a "night piece" representing the "windows of New York".[3]

History

The sculpture was commissioned by Saul Wenegrat, director of the art program for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, for the World Trade Center and its "Percent For Art" program.[4] The piece evolved through several redesigns before its dedication.

The largest work the sculptor had created to date,[4] the wall piece was 32 feet wide, 17 feet tall and a foot thick[4] — and comprised more than 35 segments, each a dark painted wood relief. Completed in 1977 or 1978 (reported variously), Sky Gate was dedicated at the mezzanine of One World Trade Center on December 12, 1978, overlooking Austin J. Tobin Plaza.[1][5] Kitty Carlisle Hart, chair of the New York State Council on the Arts presided over the ceremony.[4]

The sculpture was destroyed during the September 11 attacks in 2001 and was not recovered.

See also

• Artwork at the World Trade Center (1973–2001)

• Bent Propeller
• Artwork damaged or destroyed in the September 11 attacks

References

1. Wenegrat, Saul (28 February 2002). "September 11th: ART LOSS, DAMAGE, AND REPERCUSSIONS Proceedings of an IFAR Symposium on February 28, 2002". International Foundation For Art Research. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
2. Nevelson, Louise; Coleman Danto, Arthur (January 1, 2007). The Sculpture of Louise Nevelson: Constructing a Legend. New Haven: Yale Univ Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-0300121728 – via Google Books.
3. "Louise Nevelson Dedicates Her Sculpture at Trade Center". The New York Times. 13 December 1978. p. B3.
4. Wilson, Laurie (16 December 2016). Louise Nevelson: Light and Shadow. New York: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0500773741 – via Google Books.
5. Scott, Andrea K. (9 May 2007). "A Life Made Out of Wood, Metal and Determination". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 December 2017.