Giant hyper-realistic pigeon sculpture coming to NYC's High Line

ByAlex Webb WABC logo
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Giant pigeon sculpture will take over the High Line Plinth in October
This hyper-realistic sculpture of a pigeon, titled 'dinosaur,' is coming to the NYC High Line this October.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York City residents are used to seeing pigeons... but never quite like this.

On Wednesday, the NYC High Line announced that a new sculpture of a giant pigeon will be on display in October of this year.

The hyper-realistic aluminum sculpture stands 16 feet tall and will be placed on the High Line Plinth above the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Street for an 18-month-long commission.

The sculpture is the work of French artist and filmmaker Iván Argote with a humorous yet historic and symbolic take on the iconic city street bird.

Argote is the youngest artist to be displayed on the High Line since its founding in 2009, and the first ever Plinth artist from the global south.

The sculpture's title "Dinosaur" pokes fun at the scale of the artwork while also recognizing pigeons as the ancestral descendants of dinosaurs.

Argote explained that his work goes deeper than just inciting a quick laugh though.

According to the artist, "like them, one day we won't be around anymore, but perhaps a remnant of humanity will live on, as pigeons do, in the dark corners and gaps of future worlds."

The statue also serves as a symbol of all New Yorkers who migrated here across different cultures and now- like the pigeon- call this city their home.

ALSO READ | High Line historian reflects on history of beloved NYC park for 15th anniversary

Joelle Garguilo has details on the anniversary of the High Line Park.

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