NY’s Astor Place Cube Sculptor to Have Work Featured at Southampton Fine Arts Fair

By: Serach Nissim

Oversized sculptures by American abstract sculptor, Tony Rosenthal, are going on the road.

The late artist, well known for his monumental public art sculptures including his beloved Astor Place cube named “Alamo”, has his art on the move. As reported by Page Six, a 1000 lb. sculpture entitled “Lovers” from Rosenthal’s Southampton property is moving to an exhibit at the Southampton Fine Arts Fair at the Southampton Arts Center being held from September 2nd until September 5th. It is then being moved again to Roland Auctions in Glen Cove, NY. The seven by nine-foot piece reportedly needed eight people to move it. It was part of the artist’s personal collection, and for the last 20 years had been on display in his own front yard at his Southampton home. “One large piece from the personal collection on his Southampton property has been transported around this past week on a flatbed truck, giving onlookers a rare glimpse,” said a source for a Post.

Two other large sculptures by Rosenthal, namely “Big Red” and “Mandela,” will also be moved for a public display at the Southampton Fine Arts Fair for the first time, and later go to Auction. After the fair, they will move to Roland Auctions upstate to be featured in the Sept. 25th auction of Rosenthal’s “Personal Collection”. Over 150 other smaller works by the artist will also be featured at the auction. “Lovers”, the brushed aluminum relief sculpture with juxtaposed geometric forms, has an estimated value of about $30,000-$50,000, as per the auction house.

The artist, who created sculptures for seven decades, passed away from a stroke in July 2009, at the age of 94. His wife Cynthia now handles the estate. His famous Astor Place cube, which weighs about 1,800 pounds and can spin on its axis, has been decisively planted in the sidewalk for more than 50 years in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan. It was the city’s first permanent abstract outdoor sculpture.

Rosenthal also has other sculptures in the city: in front of the New York Public Library’s East 58th Street branch; at the Fashion Institute of Technology; at Police Plaza; and on 80th Street near First Avenue. He has similar pieces also on display in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Florida, Connecticut and Michigan. Rosenthal’s works have been displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as other museums around the world.