Soccer Ball-Themed Sculptures Pop Up in New York, New Jersey as World Cup Gets Underway
The landmark public art project featuring 23 large-scale works by an impressive roster of talents is on view from June through Labor Day
As the excitement surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2026 reaches a fever pitch in the U.S., the art world is hardly standing on the sidelines. In an initiative recognized as Agnes Gund’s last philanthropic project before her death, 23 large-scale sculptures are taking over New York City’s five boroughs and the adjacent area of New Jersey in a public art project titled “The Art of the Game.”
The initiative, which is a partnership between ARTS 14C and the FIFA World Cup 2026 New York New Jersey Host Committee, has enjoyed support from major museums, galleries, and Christie’s, and stems from Gund’s shared love of sports with Diana Burroughs, the executive director of ARTS 14C’s artist residency program, Project 14C.
“A main feature of my friendship with Aggie since the early 1980s was our shared love of arts,” says Burroughs. “But we were outliers in that we both also loved sports. It was therefore a no-brainer for me to approach Aggie the moment I imagined transforming soccer balls into public sculpture around the World Cup, as I knew I would not have to convince her of the idea’s merits. Aggie quickly began making introductions and put together a committee of the city’s top museums; I could not have done so myself. I am only sorry that she is not alive to appreciate what her goodwill has done.”
The first artist secured for the project was Katherine Bernhardt, whose sculpture appears in Rockefeller Plaza in front of Christie’s. The additional artists include Futura 2000, Melissa McGill, Edgar Heaps of Birds, Madeline Hollander, Kevin Beasley, Wyatt Kahn, Hank Willis Thomas, Eddie Martinez, Mario Ayala, Leo Castañeda, Tanía H. Cruz, Fred Wilson, Ronny Quevedo, Bony Ramirez, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Bassim Al-Shaker, Matthew Day Jackson, Gabriel Lester, Cemile Sahin, Gabriel Fontana, Dan Funderburgh, and Nyugen Smith.
While 12 of the sculptures will be sited permanently, the works by Thomas, Bernhardt, Wilson, Ramirez, and Matsuyama will be auctioned by Christie’s with the proceeds will partially benefit ARTS 14C and the Gund-funded nonprofit Studio in a School. “The FIFA World Cup is the largest shared moment on earth—and that’s exactly where art belongs,” says Robinson Holloway, CEO and Founder of ARTS 14C. “The powerful thing about public art is that it belongs to everyone, just like the beautiful game. Art and soccer both cross borders, ignite passion, and bring people together in ways few other things can.”
