Bent Propeller

Bent Propeller
Bent Propeller pictured in 1971
Artist	Alexander Calder
Completion date	1970
Medium	Sculpture
Dimensions	760 cm (25 ft)
Condition	Destroyed in the September 11 attacks in 2001
Location	New York City

Bent Propeller (also known as World Trade Center Stabile) was a red stainless steel sculpture by Alexander Calder.

Description

The main elements of the sculpture were three sheets of curved metal, linked together to form a static work resting under its own weight, making it what Calder called a "stabile", as opposed to his famous "mobile" sculptures. It was reminiscent of a ship's propeller. Like many of Calder's public sculptures, it was painted red. The large work, 25 feet (7.6 m) high, was first installed near the entrance to WTC1 (the North Tower). It was moved in 1970 to a plaza in front of 7 World Trade Center, on the northeast corner of the World Trade Center Plaza by Vesey Street and Church Street.

History

The sculpture was commissioned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1969 and installed in 1970 at the World Trade Center in New York City.

The work was destroyed in 2001 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, crushed under thousands of tons of rubble when 7 World Trade Center collapsed. About 40 percent of the sculpture was recovered from the debris in the following months. With not enough of the original remaining for a restoration, the recovered elements were stored by the Calder Foundation. Today, a portion of the sculpture can be found at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

References

• Lost Art: Alexander Calder, Tate Gallery, 10 September 2012
• Found Art: Parts of Calder Sculpture Retrieved from Trade Center, NPR, 22 October 2001
• Alexander Calder, 1898-1976, Bent Propeller, 1970, Gallery of Lost Art
• Alexander Calder, Gallery of Lost Art blog, 16 November 2012
• Bent Propeller, Gallery of Lost Art blog, 2 May 2012