Art in NYC: Uraeus by Anselm Kiefer on view at Rockefeller Center
Monumental public art installation by Anselm Kiefer on view at the Rockefeller Center until July 22, 2018
Representing history and centrality for the City of New York, Rockefeller Center capitalizes on its popularity to introduce the public art of tremendous influence and power to the visitors. This summer is no exception as it presents Uraeus by Anselm Kiefer, the artwork created specifically for this site. The project is organized by Public Art Fund and the property group Tishman Speyer together with Gagosian Gallery which represents the artist. Kiefer confesses that the project was about eight years in making starting from its conception and a search for the right site and leading to its unveiling to the public in May 2018. It will stay in its location at the top of Rockefeller Center Channel Gardens until July 22, 2018.
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The public sculpture consists of a gigantic open book spanning its 30 feet wide eagle wings and standing 20 feet tall on a column with a serpent coiling up. Underneath is an assortment of old and worn-out books spread out in disarray. The composition is done in lead, Kiefer’s preferred media which he selects both for its physical properties of softness and malleability and its alchemical past. Lead was thought to be the material that could be converted to gold and with that symbolizes the transformation and distraction for the better good. Aesthetically and particularly in Kiefer’s works, it conveys the tension and the scourge of the past.
The title of the work, Uraeus, refers to the upright shape of Egyptian cobra associated with serpent goddess Wadjet. In Egyptian mythology, it symbolized the divine power of authority. At the same time in numerous other eposes and traditions, a serpent was a representation of wisdom and knowledge. With that, a combination of a book with a serpent and the rest being discarded is rich for interpretations. Thought its history the humanity balanced between treating knowledge epitomized by the books as a source of poison for the mind or a source of wisdom in search of eternal peace.
In an interview with the FT, the artist pointed to the original title of the composition “Thus spoke Zarathustra”, after Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophical novel. Kiefer believes that its “the highest book there”. Books, in general, are taking a very prominent place in Kiefer’s oeuvre. An exhibition of his erotic books at Gagosian Gallery last summer brings up that point.
Kiefer is known to load his art with philosophical and cultural references. The case in point was presented in the expose of his works at the Met Breuer Provocations and the same can be said about this installation. While in the museum setting thanks to the curators the artist’s intentions and influences are carefully explained, Kiefer and Public Art Fund trust the New York city visitors in grasping the meaning of the art. Take a look at Uraeus and see for yourself the depth and subtlety of the installation.
With The New York Pass you can enjoy a free tour of the historic Rockefeller Center with a visit to the Top of the Rock observation deck and much more.
Time: May 2, 2018 – July 22, 2018
Venue: 45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10111
Use Promo Code TMNTX (if applicable)
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