New York City has a beautiful sheep’s meadow.
It is fifteen grassy acres so-named in Central Park where 200 or so sheep lived for a number of generations in the mid-18th to 19th century, and later it became home to “love-ins”, concerts, and sunbathing. This week Manhattan officially has a second pasture for sheep to graze, although the rolling hills are much smaller and the sheep are slightly more stylized – and the site is a gas station in Chelsea.
Sheep Station with works by François-Xavier Lalanne at a former Getty filling station in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The surrealist scene will catch the eye of a hard driving taxi driver who used to top the tank off at this stop, but the month-long pastoral venue that officially opened yesterday will also make them crack a smile when they see the 25 epoxy stone and bronz “moutons” by François-Xavier Lalanne grazing around. One half of Les Lalannes with his wife Claude Lalanne, the French sculptor exhibited many iterations and new additions of his sheep beginning in the 1960s until his passing five years ago.
The new installation by real estate developer Michael Shvo in partnership with Paul Kasmin Gallery along 10th Avenue is similar to the work Les Lalannes would have done together in that it combines his interest in the sculptural and hers in vegetation and the natural world. In fact this French countryside hemmed in by white fencing will need to be mowed by humans, a job that real sheep would have gladly taken care of.
Sheep Station with works by François-Xavier Lalanne at a former Getty filling station in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
You can imagine this public art show to be a corresponding component to an art fan’s day in Manhattan if they saw the upcoming Magritte exhibition at MoMA, Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938 and then stopped by the Sheep Station on their way to a stroll along the nearby Highline in all its autumnal splendor. The orchestrated natural otherworld installation wanders freely between high concept and decorative and you’ll probably find this curious little patch of grass is an unusually welcoming pit stop, a psychological breath of fresh country air for the post-industrial traveler.
Sheep Station with works by François-Xavier Lalanne at a former Getty filling station in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sheep Station with works by François-Xavier Lalanne at a former Getty filling station in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sheep Station with works by François-Xavier Lalanne at a former Getty filling station in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sheep Station with works by François-Xavier Lalanne at a former Getty filling station in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
A wall piece installed earlier for another event remains from Street Artist/photographer JR and painter José Parlá. Sheep Station with works by François-Xavier Lalanne at a former Getty filling station in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sheep Station with works by François-Xavier Lalanne at a former Getty filling station in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sheep Station with works by François-Xavier Lalanne at a former Getty filling station in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The public exhibition runs until October 20th and you can read more about Sheep Station at http://gettystation.com/
<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA
Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!
<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Welcome to October - the time when the leaves turn yellow and orange and when your local pharmacy is selling Halloween candy and Christmas decorations because w...
Meat eaters look away! NemO'S. Vedriano - Italy for "Sagra della Street Art". August, 2014. (photo © NemO'S) Shield thine eyes from the delightful and disgusting; this new acrylic depiction of our...
In need a calming yet stimulating distraction during these tumultuous times? Artists from Schoeni Projects and HK Walls have made a free coloring book for you and so much more. Aida Wilde (photo ...
This simple lollipop paste-up reminds us this week that it may appear to be sweet, but sometimes it is poison. Guess that truism should be obvious to you kids, but it doesn't hurt to remind each o...
Five years into it, The Brooklyn Artists Ball has become a glittering spectacle that speaks to the traditional, the contemporary, and the beat on the street. This years greatest hits collection not on...