A Spanish artist will install a series of 10-foot sandstone blocks with painted surfaces along Midtown's Park Avenue medians in April, the Parks Department said.
Lluis Lleo, who hails from Spain but is based in New York, will install five of the blocks on the southern ends of the medians between 52nd and 56th streets, with geometric shapes painted on each side of the blocks, according to Elizabeth Masella, the department's public art coordinator.
Each block, which Masella described as “monolithic,” will stand about 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Lleo, who is funding the project himself, is looking into the possibility of shining spotlights on them at night, Masella said on Monday at a meeting of the Community Board 5 Parks & Public Space Committee.
The blocks will be up from April through the end of the summer, Masella said.
Lleo, who has been active since the 1980s, has in recent years been focusing on projects similar to the Park Ave installation, with large blocks painted with broad, bright swatches of color, according to his website.
His work has shown in galleries across Europe, Japan and the U.S., including a 2016 exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum in Midtown.
