The Sphere
The Sphere (officially Große Kugelkaryatide N.Y., also known as Sphere at Plaza Fountain, WTC Sphere or Koenig Sphere) is a monumental cast bronze sculpture by German artist Fritz Koenig (1924–2017).
| The Sphere | |
|---|---|
| Große Kugelkaryatide N.Y. | |
The Sphere in Liberty Park in 2018, with damage at the top of the sculpture sustained during 9/11 | |
| Artist | Fritz Koenig |
| Year | 1968–1971 |
| Type | Bronze |
| Dimensions | 7.6 m (25 ft); 5.2 m diameter (17 ft) |
| Location | Liberty Park, New York City |
| 40°42′38″N 74°0′50″W | |
| Owner | Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) |
The world's largest bronze sculpture of modern times stood between the twin towers on the Austin J. Tobin Plaza of the World Trade Center in New York City from 1971 until the September 11 attacks. The work, weighing more than 20 tons, was the only remaining work of art to be recovered largely intact from the ruins of the collapsed twin towers. After being dismantled and stored near a hangar at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the sculpture was the subject of the 2001 documentary Koenig's Sphere. Since then, the bronze sphere has become a memorial for the attacks.
The spherical caryatid was installed in Battery Park between 2002 and 2017, when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey moved it to Liberty Park, overlooking the September 11 Memorial and its original location. The sculpture, rededicated at its permanent location on August 16, 2017, has been kept in the condition it was found in after the September 11 attacks.