2 Giant Sculptures To Be Installed In Midtown This Week

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The relatively few pedestrians strolling around Midtown Manhattan's Theater District these days will get to enjoy two new pieces of public art starting this week.

On Thursday, workers will install two monumental sculptures by the prominent sculptor Jim Rennert, known for his "Everyman" series, depicting men in business attire.

The first work, "Walking the Tightrope," will be installed at the entrance of 1700 Broadway, near 54th Street.

Showing a man balanced delicately atop a rectangular structure, the athletically-themed workaims to "express concepts we all deal with when making a living," reads a news release about the sculptures.

The other sculpture, "WTF," will sit in the plaza at 53rd Street and Seventh Avenue, and shows a man with his arms outstretched, gazing at the sky.

"Once you’ve thought big, and then found a perspective of where you fit in, you can sometimes have a WTF moment," Rennert said in a statement. "And in 2020, WTF seems to describe how we all feel about dealing with this year."

They will remain in place through 2022. Rennert, who lives in New York City, began sculpting in 1990 after a decade-long career in business. He has other sculptures on display in New York, at 222 East 34th St., and has been exhibited elsewhere in the country, including at the Utah Governor's Mansion.