Westchester Avenue at East Tremont and Williamsbridge Road
Romare Bearden
Untitled, 1982
epoxy and faceted glass
side windows:
9' 6" x 4' 10" x 3/4"
main window:
9' 6" x 10' x 3/4"
MTA/Arts For Transit
Shortly before his death in 1988, Romare Bearden completed the project design for a stained-glass window in the Westchester Square IRT station. The work is based on a collage depicting an elevated train weaving in and out of a cityscape in Bearden's familiar Cubist interpretation of New York City street life.
The experience of riding the elevated trains is central to Bearden's imagery. As he described, "To see the changing aspects of the city—the great buildings of midtown... and the tenements abutting the elevated lines. Like Edward Hopper, I drew inspiration from these sights." Bearden's stained-glass windows, made from a thick durable epoxy, are located in the entrance. The windows were executed by Belgian born and trained architectural glass artist Benoit Gilsoul who collaborated closely with Bearden. Bearden realized immediately that the medium of stained glass was ideal for his idea of the project. This is Bearden's only work in glass. Mr. Gilsoul has used bright colored glass, translating the imagery, textures, and the line strokes, as he discussed with Bearden.
More about the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Arts for Transit program
Proposal for Untitled, 1993
More about the Westchester Heights (Westchester Square) neighborhood
