All Over Albany

Triangles and Arches is being temporarily removed from the Empire State Plaza

Because you might notice: The state Office of General Services recently announced that it's temporarily removing the Alexander Calder sculpture Triangles and Arches from its place in the reflecting pool in front of the State Museum.

OGS says the piece needs restoration work. From a press release:

"Our responsibilities as stewards of the Empire State Plaza Art Collection include an ongoing commitment to provide generational treatment to works of art that require conservation," Commissioner Destito said. "OGS is having the Calder sculpture, Triangles and Arches, deinstalled in preparation for conservation. Our goal with this sculpture and the other artworks we have conserved in recent years is to ensure that future generations will be able to view and enjoy this unique collection that belongs to the people of New York."

Weighing approximately 8,000 pounds, Triangles and Arches consists of seven steel base plates projecting from seven piers rising out of the reflecting pool. Over time, the paint on the sculpture has deteriorated, and disassembly of the sculpture is needed to determine what conservation is required.

That photo above is from early May. If you look closely, you can see there's paint peeling and missing from the sculpture.

Last fall OGS re-installed the nearby François Stahly Labyrinth on the Empire State Plaza after it was removed for a multi-year restoration project.

And a decade ago the state temporarily removed the Ellsworth Kelly piece Yellow Blue so that the steel could be refurbished and the paint reapplied.

More Calder: The modern art collection at the ESP includes another Calder piece, the mobile Four at Forty-Five -- it hangs in the plaza level lobby of the Corning Tower. (Or not! Gina says below that it now hangs in the lobby of the State Museum.)