Ричард Серраның «Еңкейген Аркасы»: Нью-Йорктегі даулы туынды

Public art installation by Richard Serra in Manhattan, New York, U. S.

Tilted Arc was a controversial public art installation by Richard Serra, displayed in Foley Federal Plaza in Manhattan from 1981 to 1989. It consisted of a 120 foot long, 12 foot high solid, unfinished plate of rust covered COR TEN steel. Advocates characterized it as an important work by a well known artist that transformed the space and advanced the concept of sculpture, whereas critics focused on its perceived ugliness and saw it as ruining the site. Following an acrimonious public debate, the sculpture was removed in 1989 as the result of a federal lawsuit and has never been publicly displayed since, in accordance with the artist's wishes.

In 1979, the United States General Services Administration's Art in Architecture program decided to commission a work of public art to grace the open space in front of a planned addition to the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in Manhattan, New York City. Taking the recommendation of a National Endowment for the Arts panel of art experts, the U. S. General Services Administration administrator gave the commission to sculptor Richard Serra, a fine arts graduate of Yale University who at age 40 was one of the leading minimalist sculptors. The contract for the commission required Serra to give the work to GSA, making it property of the United States. The post minimalist artwork was designed and constructed in 1981. Exemplifying Serra's minimalist, conceptual style, As its name suggests, it was slightly tilted. Placed in the Federal Plaza, the work bisected the space, blocking views and paths of those who frequented the plaza.

Commissioned in 1979, Tilted Arc immediately attracted intense negative feedback, prominently from Chief Judge Edward D. Re, as well as fierce defenders. Those who worked in the area found the sculpture extremely disruptive to their daily routines, and within months the work had driven over 1300 government employees in the greater metro area to sign a petition for its removal. Opponents countered that, because the sculpture forced the site to function as an extension of the sculpture, it was in effect "holding the site hostage." Calvin Tomkins, an art critic for The New Yorker magazine, was quoted saying, "I think it is perfectly legitimate to question whether public spaces and public funds are the right context for work that appeals to so few people – no matter how far it advances the concept of sculpture." The Storefront for Art and Architecture invited prominent NYC artists and architects to envision the future plaza as a protest in "After Tilted Arc". A public hearing was held on the subject of the sculpture in March 1985, with 122 people testifying in favor of keeping the piece and 58 in favor of removing it. Notable speakers arguing in favor of the sculpture included Philip Glass, Keith Haring, and Claes Oldenburg. Artists, art historians, and even a psychiatrist testified for the sculpture to remain in its location. Local workers argued for removal, with one person saying: "Every time I pass this so called sculpture I just can’t believe it The General Services Administration, or whoever approved this, this goes beyond the realm of stupidity. This goes into even worse than insanity. I think an insane person would say, ‘How crazy can you be to pay $175,000 for that rusted metal wall?' You would have to be insane— more than insane." Serra also claimed that the removal of "Tilted Arc" constituted a violation of his First Amendment right to free speech and Fifth Amendment right to due process. Although the physical component of the work is safe in storage, it will likely never again be erected since it is Serra's wish that it will never be displayed anywhere other than its original location. Serra has stated that the case exemplifies the U. S. legal system's preference toward capitalistic property rights over democratic freedom of expression.

The Tilted Arc controversy may have contributed to the enactment, in 1990, of the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA). An amendment to the Copyright Act of 1976, VARA provides "moral rights" to the artist so that they have rights to attribution and integrity when it comes to paintings, drawings, and sculpture. However, a 2006 decision by the U. S. Court of Appeals established that VARA does not protect location as a component of site specific work. William Gaddis satirized these events in his 1994 novel, A Frolic of His Own.