PHOTOS: Manolo Valdés’ Dramatic Metal Head Sculptures Take Over the New York Botanical Garden

Posted By Lori Zimmer On October 24, 2012 @ 1:10 pm In Art NYC,Bronx | No Comments

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Artist Manolo Valdés ^[6] has transformed the green grounds of the Bronx's New York Botanical Garden ^[7] into an open-air sculpture park ^[8]. His sweeping and dramatic over-sized metal heads give the garden’s serene landscape a surreal counterpoint and echo the flowery forms of nearby plants and trees. The collection, called Monumental Sculpture, is made up of seven giant sculptures in total, which will be on view through next May.

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Visitors to the New York Botanical Garden can now enjoy the outdoor space as a sculpture park in addition to the center’s plantlife from all over the world and seasonal zombie pumpkins ^[9]. Valdés erected his seven sculptures, some spanning over 50 feet wide, at the NYBG in a collaboration with Marlborough Gallery ^[10]. Made from bronze, cor-ten steel and aluminum, the forms will reflect the surrounding flora to change looks with the seasons.

Each sculpture portrays the head of a figure, surrounded with a sweeping headdress. One sculpture features swirls of cor-ten shapes unfolding from the figure’s temples. Silver butterfly shapes float out of the crown of another head on the lawn, while silver fern shapes envelope a featureless face nearby.

As the seasons change, the sculptures will infuse themselves with the groundwork of the garden ^[11], mirroring their surroundings as green leaves change to red and yellow, and again when ice and snow set in.

+ New York Botanical Garden ^[7]

Images ©Lori Zimmer ^[12] for Inhabitat

Article printed from Inhabitat New York City: http://inhabitat.com/nyc

URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photos-manolo-valdes-dramatic-metal-head-sculptures-take-over-the-new-york-botanical-garden/

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[5]  : http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photos-manolo-valdes-dramatic-metal-head-sculptures-take-over-the-new-york-botanical-garden/manolo-valdes2/?extend=1

[6] Manolo Valdés: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manolo_Valdés

[7] New York Botanical Garden: http://www.nybg.org/visit/exhibitions.php

[8] open-air sculpture park: http://inhabitat.com/nyc/storm-king-art-center-a-summer-retreat-for-the-artsy-nature-loving-new-yorker/

[9] zombie pumpkins: http://inhabitat.com/nyc/ray-villafane-unleashes-an-army-of-ghastly-zombie-pumpkins-at-the-new-york-botanical-garden/

[10] Marlborough Gallery: http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photos-stray-light-grey-is-a-bizarre-adventure-through-an-abandoned-world-in-manhattan/

[11] sculptures will infuse themselves with the groundwork of the garden: http://inhabitat.com/nyc/farmacy-edible-vertical-farms-come-to-long-island-citys-socrates-sculpture-park/

[12] Lori Zimmer: http://www.artnerdnewyork.com

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