Public Art Fund: Tony Cragg

Press Release
Artist Bio
Sponsorship
Location
Bibliography

Tony Cragg, "Turbo" and "Ferryman"

bronze

May 23 - September 2001

at Doris C. Freedman Plaza
(Fifth Avenue and 60th Street)

Tony Cragg, "Turbo" and "Ferryman" Photo: Eileen Travell

Tony Cragg, "Turbo" Photo: Eileen Travell

Tony Cragg, "Ferryman" Photo: Eileen Travell

Tony Cragg's two sculptures, Turbo and Ferryman, made their U.S. debut at Doris C. Freedman Plaza (Fifth Avenue at 60th Street). These sculptures highlighted Cragg's continued focus on organic form and formal sculptural practices. Turbo, the taller of the two, measured six-and-a-half feet tall and was composed of a series of four irregular bronze discs stacked one on top of the other. Like a spinning top, the spherical form created a sense of motion where the work seemingly shifted from left to right, shrinking and expanding from top to bottom. Ferryman, the more organic sculpture, measured four feet high and eight feet long. Unlike the geometric Turbo, Ferryman was developed out of a series of waves and mounds. Ferryman's imposing size amplified and contradicted its lacey bronze frame.

These works were first shown together in the courtyard of the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in 1999.

Artist Bio
Tony Cragg was born in Liverpool, England in 1949. Internationally recognized as one of the leading abstract sculptors of his generation, Cragg has produced a highly influential body of work centered on the manipulation of shapes and surfaces as they relate to the human environment. Using such diverse materials as bronze, glass, and found objects, Cragg has created enigmatic works that meld bio-morphic shapes with otherworldly textures. In 1988, Tony Cragg was awarded the Turner Prize from the Tate Gallery, London, England. Tony Cragg has exhibited in museums throughout the world including The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; The Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas; the Tate Gallery, London, England; Musee National d'Art Moderne - Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Wiener Secession, Vienna, Austria; and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain.

Sponsorship
This exhibition of Tony Cragg's Turbo and Ferryman was supported by Bloomberg.

Special thanks to Marian Goodman Gallery.

This exhibition is also made possible through the cooperation of the City of New York / Parks & Recreation.

Location
Turbo and Ferryman were located at Doris C. Freedman Plaza (5th Avenue & 60th Street).