Facade: Tschabalala Self—Art Lovers
Sun, Sep 21
|New Museum
Art Lovers by Tschabalala Self opens Fall 2025 on the New Museum’s facade—an embrace of public affection, architecture, and NYC connection.
Time & Location
Sep 21, 2025, 7:00 AM – Dec 31, 2025, 10:50 PM
New Museum, 235 Bowery, New York, NY 10002, USA
About the event
This Fall 2025, acclaimed Harlem-born artist Tschabalala Self unveils Art Lovers, a site-specific public artwork for the New Museum’s iconic facade at Bowery and Prince Street.
Part of the New Museum’s ongoing Facade Sculpture Program, this new piece will grace the very “kiss point” where the SANAA-designed original structure meets the OMA-designed expansion. The mural-like sculpture captures an intimate embrace between two figures, dramatizing both romantic connection and the merging of architectural forms.
Visible to all passersby, Art Lovers becomes a public love letter to New York City—its people, relationships, and the urban spaces that allow them to flourish. Self’s signature style—built from a fusion of painting, textile, and sculpture—brings a uniquely vibrant, textured depth to this street-facing commission.
Curated by Massimiliano Gioni and Madeline Weisburg, this installation doesn’t just celebrate affection, but reclaims public space as a site for emotional resonance and human connection—transforming the building into both a canvas and a symbol.
This fall,…