German artist Bettina Pousttchi has unveiled a monumental steel sculpture titled "Vertical Highways V03" at New York’s Rockefeller Center. Crafted from repurposed roadway guardrails that have been bent and colored, the vertical installation stands in dialogue with the surrounding Art Deco architecture. The work, which has previously been exhibited in Paris, Berlin, and Istanbul, will remain on public display in Midtown Manhattan through April 17, 2026.
This installation represents a significant continuation of Rockefeller Center’s century-old public art tradition, originally established by the Rockefeller family. By transforming restrictive infrastructure into fluid, poetic forms, Pousttchi engages with the legacies of Minimalism and Duchampian ready-mades. The project highlights the role of site-specific public art in recontextualizing urban boundaries and fostering cultural exchange within the built environment.