Joel Shapiro Untitled

Joel Shapiro’s 11-foot-tall bronze sculpture is the latest of the artist’s explorations into large-scale, figurative sculpture. Minimalist elements are evident in his sculptures’ spare geometry, formal economy, and flat, bare spaces. By manipulating these forms to suggest human gesture and action, Shapiro (1941–2025, b. New York City, NY) has succeeded in infusing discrete materials with psychological energy and meaning.

The large sculpture at Doris C. Freedman Plaza consists of five bronze pieces that have been cast from wooden beams and constructed to resemble an upright figure with raised arms. When the complete structure is viewed from the north, it appears isolated in the urban backdrop of midtown Manhattan; from the south it is naturally framed by a stand of tall Callery pear trees that mark the entrance to Central Park.