Richard Serra
ABOUT THE ARITST
Richard Serra was an influential American sculptor known for monumental works that explore weight, balance, and the physical experience of space. He often used industrial materials—especially large, curved sheets of weathered steel—to create installations that invite viewers to walk through and around them. Serra’s work emphasizes how movement and perception shift as one navigates his structures, making the viewer an active participant. Emerging from the minimalist movement, he challenged traditional ideas of sculpture by focusing on process, scale, and the relationship between art and its environment. Over his long career, he produced site-specific pieces for museums and public spaces worldwide, leaving a lasting impact on contemporary sculpture and spatial art.
PROJECTS:
RUNNING ARCS (FOR JOHN CAGE)
New York City, NY - United States
On display at Gagosian (21st St) until December 20th 2025.
ADDRESS:
522 W 21st St, New York, NY 10011
ACCESS:
FREE, open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-6pm
Richard Serra’s Running Arcs (for John Cage) creates an environment where weight, rhythm, and movement unfold through massive curved steel. Installed at Gagosian, the three sweeping arcs form shifting corridors that invite slow, bodily navigation. As viewers walk the piece, the spatial relationships subtly change, producing a cadence reminiscent of Cage’s explorations of chance and duration. The steel’s dark surface and monumental scale generate a sense of gravity, yet the arcs feel almost in motion, as if gently rotating around an unseen center. Serra’s installation becomes less an object to observe than a passage to inhabit, translating musical structure into physical experience and encouraging visitors to listen with their eyes and their steps.
DESCRIPTION:
With few permanent works on display in New York City, this is a great opportunity to see large scale works by Serra.
NOTES:
Beacon, NY - United States
Dia Beacon has numerous Serra works in their permanent collection. These are some of the best works by the artist on display in the Northeast.
New Windsor, NY - United States
Richard Serra has a piece permanently on display on the grounds.
GAGOSIAN (21ST & 24TH ST) [ARCHIVE]
New York CIty, NY - United States
2015 presentation of new work by Richard Serra. These works are no longer on display at Gagosian.
New York City, NY - United States
Richard Serra’s Equal is part of the permanent collection on view at MoMA. In addition they have numerous smaller works in their collection that rotate in and out of view.
Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade - France
Richard Serra’s Aix is part of the permanent collection on view on the grounds at Chateau La Coste.
