The New York Times previews Penn Station’s major new permanent installations, featuring work by Stan Douglas and Elmgreen & Dragset

Sunlight is not typically associated with the dingy basement vibe that envelops commuters passing through Penn Station. But natural light spills across the new Moynihan Train Hall through its massive, 92-foot-high skylight ceiling and illuminates another surprise: permanent installations by some of the most celebrated artists in the world. Kehinde Wiley, Stan Douglas and the artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset have major pieces prominently displayed in the new $1.6 billion train hall.

Kehinde Wiley, Stan Douglas and the artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset have major pieces prominently displayed in the new $1.6 billion train hall set to open Friday, offering an expansion of Penn Station’s concourse space and serving customers of Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road. The hall, designed by the architecture firm SOM, also connects to subway lines, although they are some distance away.

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Images: 

Stan Douglas

22 April 1924 and 7 August 1934, from Penn Station’s Half Century, 2020

Ceramic ink on glass. One of nine photographic panels from Penn Station’s Half Century

Commissioned by Empire State Development in partnership with Public Art Fund for Moynihan Train Hall

© Stan Douglas. Courtesy of the artist, Victoria Miro and David Zwirner.

Photo: Nicholas Knight, courtesy Empire State Developmentand Public Art Fund, NY

Elmgreen & Dragset

The Hive, 2020

Stainless steel, aluminum, polycarbonate, LED lights, and lacquer

Commissioned by Empire State Development in partnership with Public Art Fund for Moynihan Train Hall

Photo: Nicholas Knight, courtesy Empire State Development and Public Art Fund, NY