David Kapp, Jon Merritt
all photography credit: Samuel Morgan Photography
Cade Tompkins Projects is pleased to announce the curation of a collection of over 1,250 works of contemporary art within the new 25-floor, 730,000 square-foot building designed by architects Perkins Eastman. The building was designed to focus on patient care and family amenities, support services, as well as research and academic offices, all of which are contained in this multi-use building of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, located on the Upper East Side.
The art collection includes works by national and international emerging talent as well as important historic New York City based artists. The mediums range from monumental oil paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints and photographs.
The themes which run through the collection are based on the iconic Milton Glaser "I ❤️NY" concept sketch from 1976 (Collection: The Museum of Modern Art) and the geological and geographical location of the building, both waterways and greenways. Situated directly on the East River and on the rocky island of Manhattan, surrounded by historic parks such as Carl Schurz, John Jay and Four Freedoms Parks, all of which were the inspiration for inclusion of the nature-based art. Additional themes of urban views and figures within the cityscape add to the energy of the collection as well as works that are abstract and meditative for areas that correspond with the interior design theme of restoration. Concurrently, we recognized the history of contemporary art in New York City with the advent of Abstract Expressionism of the 1940s and 1950s, onset of Pop Art and experimental works in the 1960s and 1970s and current artistic practices that are such an important part of the fabric of New York City.
The art collection was curated by Cade Tompkins Projects with the input of a selection of stakeholders, including lead doctors, nurses and administrators to whom we presented thousands of works of art by American as well as international artists. Working with the design team of MSK, the process was designed to be inclusive and educational for those who would be working in the building. This procedure, in turn, created a sense of ownership with the stakeholders who have become ambassadors for the collection.