Coming: New Rotary Sculpture

By Andrea Appleton
POSTED OCT. 3, 2006

A new sculpture may soon grace the Holland Tunnel Rotary, empty since the seven-story “Joi de Vivre” was relocated in 2003.

The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), charged by the Port Authority with finding a new sculpture for the site, recently proposed a piece to Community Board 1’s Arts and Entertainment Committee, which unanimously approved it. The Promise, a work by internationally renowned sculptor William Tucker, is 30 feet long and 10 feet high, constructed of concrete, stucco, and steel. Evenly spaced bars punctuate its length.

“One reason that it interested us,” said Tom Healy, president of LMCC, “is that up until the 1920’s, St. John’s Rotary was literally where the railroad tracks ended. And this sculpture evokes a railroad trestle.”

Born in Egypt, Tucker established a significant career in Great Britain before moving to the United States almost three decades ago.

His work has been shown at prominent museums around the world.
Miami art collector Martin Margulies, who has a home in Tribeca, has agreed to loan the piece from his vast collection for a minimum of five years.