The best outdoor art in NYC this summer
Published June 2024 by Time Out New York
Check out our recommendations for the absolute best outdoor art to see around New York City this summer.
New York City is full of free outdoor art that you don't even have to go to a museum to see. Sculptures, murals and photographs can be found in its parks, sidewalks and on its buildings!
Locations such as the High Line, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn, Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens and other NYC locales all have a wide variety of pieces awaiting you, from massive sculptures to eye-popping murals and graffiti.
Best of all, it costs you nothing to pay a visit. Below, find the best outdoor art in NYC to stroll by on a spring day.
1. "Attrition" in City Hall Park
More than a century ago, millions of bison roamed the U.S. … until European settlers slaughtered them for profit, dominion of land and westward expansion. Artist Cannupa Hanska Luger wants us to remember these creatures whose population has been deeply harmed by human hands.
To that end, he created a massive sculpture of a bison skeleton that now sits in Lower Manhattan. Titled "Attrition," the 10-foot-long steel sculpture perches atop the Seal of NY State at City Hall Park and is nestled in a bed of regionally native grasses. The artwork explores cultural history, Post-Colonialism and environmental stewardship; it's on view through November 17, 2024.
The sculpture sits on a path leading to City Hall itself, symbolically engaging with the heart of the city's policy-making.
2. Harlem outdoor sculpture exhibition
Twenty-six sculptures have popped up across the neighborhood of Harlem, combining to create the community's first large-scale outdoor sculpture exhibition.
The sculptures range from the abstract XOXO made of red steel tubes to the staggering "The Unbroken Project" in which an image of a ballet dancer is printed on bullet casings. The newly unveiled public artworks are on view and free to visit through October 30.
Several local parks and venues now house the art installations, which were "curated to foster joy and beauty within our local community," organizers say.
3. "Travelers" in Murray Hill
These statues of people who are torn apart and frozen in time are commanding attention in Manhattan. "Travelers" is a series of figurative sculptures by renowned artist Bruno Catalano, and they definitely deserve a look—and a second or third look, too. Find them in Murray Hill along Park Avenue between 34th and 38th streets.
Each sculpture depicts a person who looks like they’re stalled mid-step, perhaps caught between the past and the present. Their bodies are broken apart at the torso, evoking the scars, complex identities, shadowy areas of each person’s self-image. Though the sculptures are depicted in motion, we don’t know where they started and where they’re going. Each one—like all of us—carries their baggage with them.
These "Travelers" will be turning heads in New York City for quite a while. See them in Murray Hill now through May 2025.
4. "Love-Ego=LOV" in Union Square
If you find yourself around Union Square any time soon, head over to the park's center lawn to see a brand new interactive sculpture by artist Pasha Radetzki. There is a catch, though: you have to complete the statue yourself, with your own body.
The public installation consists of three eight-foot-tall interlocking letters made of colored plywood that spell out "LOV" and invites New Yorkers to form the letter "E" at the end to complete the word. Can you contort your body that way?
The latest addition to the park is part of a series called "Love-Ego=LOV," which is inspired by notions of egoless love, unity, freedom and the bond between all humans in a chaotic and violent world.
5. "Shaved Portions" in the Garment District
If you’re looking for the best public art in the city right now, a giant, 35-foot sculpture made of deconstructed rubber tires might just take the cake.
The monstrous—or playful, depending on your perspective—new abstract sculpture in Manhattan bends towards itself in symmetrical loops, ascending into the sky and back down again.
The colossus, which was created by world renowned artist Chakaia Booker, is located between 39th and 40th Streets in Manhattan’s Garment District, and was unveiled to the public yesterday. "Shaved Portions" will remain on display until November 1.
6. "Before the End" at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Are these otherworldly sculptures emerging from the depths of the earth or returning to the underworld? That's the question Huma Bhabha hopes visitors will ponder as they explore her monumental new bronze artworks in Brooklyn.
Titled "Before the End," the installation of four, eight-foot tall bronze sculptures topped with animal skull fragments is now on view through March 9, 2025. Find it at the Pier 3 Greenway Terrace in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Bhabha is known for reimagining the figure in her sculptures and drawings. In this case, she did that by casting carved cork and skull fragments in a piece that interrogates the intersections of art, science fiction, horror, and mythology.
7. "The Portal" in the Flatiron District
The Portal, a digital art installation connecting New York City and Dublin, is now open in the Flatiron District. After some unsavory behavior, it's only open from 8am–3pm NYC time.
But despite the drama, it's pretty magical. On a recent afternoon, 24-or-so New Yorkers did the wave, pumped their fists, danced, snapped photos and excitedly cheered in front of the screen. One couple kissed, and a man in workout gear coordinated a group session of jumping jacks. A young woman held up her wiry brown dog for the screen. An older man rolled up on his scooter. Some people challenged strangers in Dublin to games of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Some people held their fingers up in peace signs; others made heart signs with their hands.
8. "Pink Chairs" in Prospect Park
Want to chill on the edge of the iconic Prospect Park Lake but can't find a place to sit?
A new installation by the Prospect Park Alliance, NYC Parks and CJ Hendry Studio will help you out: a pair of charismatic and fully functional pink chairs are now part and parcel of the on site scenery. The sculpture-slash-bench, aptly named "Pink Chairs," is part of a artist CJ Hendry's "Inflatable" series, which seeks to reimagine public art through the lens of utilitarian public spaces.
Fair warning: although the chairs may look like inflatables made of plastic, they are actually rock solid—so don't throw yourself on them as if they were bean bags!
9. "Wild Couch Party" in the Financial District
Wild Couch Party, a bronze sculpture featuring some of the most endangered animals in the world just hanging out, is set to debut at 28 Liberty Street in the Financial District on June 10. It's the latest piece by husband-and-wife artist duo Gillie and Marc Schattner.
Rabbitwoman and Dogman, the anthropomorphic characters brought to life by the artists as vessels for their own messages regarding the current world order, are the hosts of the couch party, each one sitting beside an African elephant.
Wild Couch Party also features a hippo, a Masai giraffe, a Bengal tiger, a koala, a chimpanzee, Grevy's zebra, a Northern white rhino, a lion, a mountain gorilla, an orangutan and an Arabian red fox.
See it June 10 - May 28, 2025.
10. "Flowing Together" in Union Square
It's always exciting when a piece of art becomes part and parcel of the city's streets. Case in point: the mural installation that takes over Union Square every year.
This year's mural is the work of New York artist Talisa Almonte who created a piece called "Flowing Together." The artwork "recognizes [Union Square's] legacy as an iconic space for people to come together, from all walks of life, in the name of self-expression – whether to make their voices heard or to celebrate life, joy, art, music and dance," per an official press release.
