LONG ISLAND CITY — The city will install a large sculpture of a reclining figure on Jackson Avenue next year, despite criticism from locals about its bright pink color.
The Public Design Commission approved plans late last month for "The Sunbather," a bronze sculpture by Brooklyn artist Ohad Meromi that he plans to paint pink, which will be installed on a traffic median at the intersection of Jackson and 43rd avenues.
The piece is part of the Department of Cultural Affairs' Percent for Art program, which uses 1 percent of the budget from some city capital projects to create public artworks.
Renderings for the "The Sunbather" were originally revealed last year by local site LIC Post — which also reported yesterday on the sculpture's approval — and drew a stream of unflattering comments from readers about the work, including one who said it looked like "someone's used bubble gum."
After the plans were revealed, a brightly colored sculpture appeared on Jackson Avenue with a sign saying it was in protest of the $515,000 the city allotted for "The Sunbather," calling the funds a "misuse of our tax dollars."
The controversy spurred City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer to pen a bill that passed in May requiring the city to seek more public input on future Percent for Art pieces.
At a Community Board 2 meeting last year, some spoke in support of the piece. The artist told members of the community at the time that he chose the vivid pink to bring some color to the intersection.
A DCA spokesman said "The Sunbather" will be installed sometime in the middle of 2016.
