A 26-foot-tall rose has bloomed at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan.
“Rose III,” which was created by German artist Isa Genzken, is forged from painted steel and is on long-term loan to Brookfield Properties, which owns the park.
Genzken, who is known for capturing the fragility and impermanence of roses in her public sculptures, rendered a yellow rose that was based on an actual rose she picked and developed for production, in Switzerland.
Ric Clark, senior managing partner and chairman of Brookfield Properties, praised Genzken’s sculpture as being a “captivating addition to Zuccotti Park and the landscape of lower Manhattan.”
Manhattan’s iconic skyline is said to have inspired Genzken’s work, as many of her sculptures stand tall and narrow. Some of Genzken’s other notable works have been installed throughout Manhattan.
“Rose II,” which was completed in 2007, was installed at the New Museum from 2010 to 2013, after it was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art, where it is part of the museum’s sculpture garden.
Another sculpture, “The Orchids,” was part of the 2015 Venice Biennale, and was installed in the Doris C. Freedman Plaza in Central Park.
“Over almost 40 years, Genzken has pursued a brave and radical vision for a public art created for, and in tune with, its environment,” said Laura Hoptman, a curator who organized the first exhibition of the Rose at the New Museum, as well as MoMA.
“The Rose is both an homage to a city that Genzken knows and loves, and a strong statement for unity and equality that every passer-by in this city of millions can enjoy. It is a simultaneously a reflection of the empathy of the artist as well as the humanity of its spectators. Like all great art is.”
