News

Three giant sculptures depicting everyday New Yorkers are now on view in midtown

They stand between 6 and 12 feet tall each.

Anna Rahmanan
Written by
Anna Rahmanan
Senior National News Editor
Commute sculpture
Photograph: Courtesy of Jim Rennert
Advertising

Art does, indeed, imitate life—especially when it comes to three life-size sculptures by New York-based artist Jim Rennert that have just taken up residence on West 47th Street and Sixth Avenue and will stay put through 2023. 

The installations stand between 6 and 12 feet tall each and they depict the "daily struggles and achievements of every day people," as described in an official press release. 

Two of the monuments—Timing and Inner Dialogue—might actually look familiar to you as they were on display by Grand Central Station just last year. Commute, featuring a solo figure waiting for a train, was added to this year's roster of public art showings. 

Below, check out some photos and descriptions of each piece:

Timing

Timing sculpture
Photograph: Courtesy of Jim Rennert

The sculpture of a person looking anxiously at their watch "relates to the various aspects of business life and the daily struggle between yourself and others," reads an official press release, noting the importance of timing in every day life occurrences.  

Inner Dialogue

Inner Dialogue sculpture
Photograph: Courtesy of Jim Rennert

Perhaps the most striking of the three, Inner Dialogue features a small figure in the palm of a larger one's hand. It's a metaphor to remind us of the subconscious conversations we are constantly having with ourselves. 

Commute

Commute sculpture
Photograph: Courtesy of Jim Rennert

Commute is the newest installation by the artist and it shows a figure with a briefcase alongside it waiting for a train—a very familiar sight to the eyes of New Yorkers. The piece seeks to "honor the work that many Americans perform each day," specifically highlighting professions requiring less physical engagement than those "more commonly depicted in art, [including] agricultural, industrial or construction work." 

The local public art scene is looking pretty awesome these days. In addition to Rennert's massive sculptures, New Yorkers can head to Times Square to visit Bloom, a new piece that changes based on perspective, or gaze at tree-like sculpture The Giving Tree, now in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens alongside a statue of rapper LL Cool J that actually plays his music from noon to 5pm throughout the week

If life does imitate art, there seems to be plenty of it to imitate!

Popular on Time Out

    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising