That’s Not a Calder
At first glance, I thought the red sculpture outside 909 Third Avenue was one of Alexander Calder’s stabiles. The bright piece is actually by Ann Gillen, an artist who uses heavy and stoic materials to communicate movement. “Red Flying Group,” which was made in 1976 and has been standing on Third Ave since 1987, is one of Gillen’s exemplar pieces that show her quest to mesh machine made materials with bursts of movement. And she actually is successfully, the painted aluminum appears to be lunging forward, almost capturing the same force as di Modica’s Charging Bull in Lower Manhattan.
Who: Ann Gillen
What: Red Flying Group
Where: 909 Third Avenue