Art Makes Way For Commerce

Proverb, a 60-foot-tall sculpture by Mark di Suvero, was erected in 2002 on a small tract of land outside the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. The piece was a loaner from the New York artist, an arrangement made by the Nasher family. The loan was originally to last three years. Three stretched into 13. Then, in June, the Symphony announced it was selling the land to Lincoln Property Company for $7.2 million. Two months later, cranes, cherry pickers, and a team of di Suvero’s assistants arrived to disassemble the sculpture. Plans for the property include a 23-story mixed-use office development. As the steel beams came down, one of the artist’s assistants said, “The piece will be returned to the artist.” Di Suvero himself, standing just feet away, was unwilling to comment.