A Review Of Richard Serra's Painting 'Tilted Arc'

Figure. 2, Richard Serra, To Encircle Base Plate Hexagon, Right Angles Inverted, Bronx, New York, 1970.
One of Serra’s most well known and controversial works is ‘Tilted Arc’, 1981, once located at the Federal Plaza in New York. On the 15th March 1989, the government of the United States then removed it, after a long dispute between the artists and various other people. Judge Edward Re initiating the idea of removing the work soon after it was erected, and William Diamond, the regional administrator for the General Services Administration a few years later calling a public hearing. In fact, it was the Arts in Architecture department that was involved with the commission in the first place. They approved all of Serra’s plans previous to it being made, first starting the process two years before. 3

‘Tilted Arc’ (fig. 3) is a continuation of his works consisting of large curvatures of thick and heavy steel. It is indented into the ground to keep it stable, but others located in galleries were made in such a way that they could free stand without any supports.
In the hearing, one of the speakers pro removing ‘Tilted Arc’ suggested that, the shape was a perfect blast wall, and would enhance terrorists ease of being able to use explosives against the building. In contrast, another speaker, who was also a musician offered to play a concert in the plaza, as the acoustics would yield an interesting and clear result, making it ideal. It is said that, there has been various test done with sound waves, and the arc focuses these waves to a point making it the sound clear and crisp.