Futura, Katherine Bernhardt & More Artists Are Turning NYC Into a World Cup Sculpture Park
Part of ‘Art of the Game,’ a public art initiative bringing 23 giant soccer ball sculptures to the five boroughs and northern New Jersey.
Summary
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‘Art of the Game’ brings 23 giant soccer ball sculptures by museum-collected artists
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The project is the final philanthropic effort of late art patron Agnes Gund, who connected the nonprofit with leadership at MoMA, the Met, the Whitney and more
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After the tournament, five balls go to auction at Christie’s, while others remain installed permanently
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is bringing more than matches to the New York metro area this summer. Art of the Game, a new public art initiative, will scatter 23 large-scale soccer ball sculptures across all five boroughs and northern New Jersey, each one designed by a different artist.
Futura 2000, Katherine Bernhardt, Hank Willis Thomas, Eddie Martinez, Kevin Beasley, Bony Ramirez, Edgar Heap of Birds, Fred Wilson and plenty more were nominated by leadership at institutions including MoMA, the Met, the Whitney, the Brooklyn Museum and El Museo del Barrio. The sculptures land at parks, plazas, transit hubs and official watch party sites starting this month and through Labor Day. The project marks the final philanthropic effort of legendary patron Agnes Gund who connected ARTS 14C, a Jersey City nonprofit that runs a 125,000-square-foot arts incubator, with leadership at MoMA, the Met, the Whitney and more in partnership with the FIFA World Cup 2026 New York New Jersey Host Committee.
Each sculpture is built from 32 aluminum composite panels (12 pentagons, 20 hexagons) in the classic soccer ball layout wrapped around a stainless steel frame, fabricated at Powerhouse Arts in Gowanus and assembled at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City. Artists took different approaches: Bernhardt spray-painted hers in her signature style, Tomokazu Matsuyama submitted graphics for UV printing and Open Call winner Nyugen Smith worked hand-embellished mixed media into his.
Some sculptures will stay put permanently with five of the works by Thomas, Bernhardt, Wilson, Ramirez and Matsuyama heading to auction at Christie’s. Proceeds will be split three ways between the artists, ARTS 14C and Studio in a School, the arts education nonprofit Gund founded. The rest will be sold privately to fund ARTS 14C’s arts accessibility mission. “The FIFA World Cup is the largest shared moment on earth — and that’s exactly where art belongs,” said ARTS 14C founder and CEO Robinson Holloway.
The sculptures will be installed throughout May and June and remain on view through Labor Day across New York City and New Jersey.
