Famous American sculptor Richard Serra died at 85

Renowned American artist and sculptor Richard Serra, celebrated for his transformative utilization of malleable materials like steel to craft expansive outdoor artworks scattered worldwide, passed away Tuesday at his residence in Long Island, New York. He was 85 years old.

Over a career spanning six decades, Serra solidified his position as one of the most acclaimed artists in postwar America.

Utilizing steel as his primary medium, often contorted into evocative forms and oxidized to achieve a unique deep orange hue, Serra became known for his monumental sculptures designed not merely for observation but for exploration, immersion, and emotional resonance. His site-specific installations, whether integrated into a grassy expanse or permanently housed within the Guggenheim Museum's satellite in Bilbao, encouraged viewers to interact with their environments in novel ways.

In downtown St. Louis, Missouri, the Serra Sculpture Park offers a 1.14-acre outdoor exhibition space featuring a room-like structure constructed from eight robust steel panels. At New Zealand's Gibbs Farm, Serra's "Te Tuhirangi Contour," stretching 844 feet, cuts through the verdant landscape like an immense rusted ribbon.

From a nature reserve in Qatar to a traffic island in Bochum, Germany, and an entrance to London's Liverpool Street train station, numerous public spaces have been reimagined by Serra's distinctive artistic vision.