Joie de Vivre 1998

Mark di Suvero’s “Joie de Vivre,” a 70-foot tall sculpture in Zuccotti Park, became a gathering place for members of the Occupy Wall Street movement. This sculpture, made of steel beams painted red, has similarities in color, size, and materials to di Suvero’s other work. Agnes Gund, president of MoMA, donated the sculpture to the city. “Joie de Vivre” was previously installed near the New York side of the Holland Tunnel; before that, it was at Storm King sculpture park in upstate New York, and on exhibit in Paris. Some Occupy protesters mistakenly thought it was commissioned by downtown investment firms as a symbol of their wealth. Ironically, the sculpture intended for the people of New York was barricaded after an Occupy protester climbed up the sculpture. Di Suvero, who said he holds some communist views, protested the Vietnam and Iraq wars, and was arrested several times.