Anyone on West 23rd street in New York City can now see a theatre facade redesigned by Milton Glaser, the famous designer commissioned by the School of the Visual Arts. Mr. Glaser (whose relationship with the SVA dates back to the 1960′s), based the rotating sculpture atop the marquee on Vladimir Tatlin’s “Monument for the Third International, 1920″. Below is an early rendering of Mr. Glaser’s redesign, including a perpetually spinning sculpture in bright candy colors reminiscent of a barber shop pole.
The Tatlin reference suggests headier waters than the work permits, reducing an unfulfilled dream to a token, coated with an empty calorie gloss. Milton may have missed the mark on this one, but I still love that Bob Dylan poster. See, alternately, a deeply considered take, by Ai Weiwei, on the historic building proposal, via Tate Liverpool:
Related: I’d suggest reading this NY Times interview with Ai Weiwei on the subject of the Beijing Olympics: http://tinyurl.com/5q3ymy
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