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| Bent Propeller | |
|---|---|
 Bent Propeller pictured in 1971 | |
 | |
| Artist | Alexander Calder |
| Completion date | 1970 |
| Medium | Sculpture |
| Dimensions | 760 cm (25 ft) |
| Condition | Severely damaged in the September 11 attacks in 2001 (partially intact) |
| Location | New York City |
| Coordinates | 40°42′47.1″N74°0′43.9″W / 40.713083°N 74.012194°W /40.713083; -74.012194 |
Bent Propeller (also known asWorld Trade Center Stabile) was a red stainless steel sculpture byAlexander Calder.
The main elements of the sculpture were three sheets of curved metal, linked together to form a static work resting under its own weight, making it what Calder called a "stabile", as opposed to his famous "mobile" sculptures. It was reminiscent of a ship's propeller. Like many of Calder's public sculptures, it was painted red. The large work, 25 feet (7.6 m) high, was first installed near the entrance to1 World Trade Center (the North Tower). It was moved in 1970 to a plaza in front of7 World Trade Center, on the northeast corner of theAustin J. Tobin Plaza byVesey Street andChurch Street.
The sculpture was commissioned by thePort Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1969 and installed in 1970 at theWorld Trade Center inNew York City. The work was severely damaged in 2001 in the aftermath of theSeptember 11 attacks, crushed under thousands of tons of rubble when7 World Trade Center collapsed. About 40 percent of the sculpture was recovered from the debris in the following months. The remainder of the sculpture was never recovered, and any of its unrecovered remains were removed from Ground Zero along with the rest of the rubble.
With not enough of the original sculpture remaining for a restoration, the recovered elements were stored by the Calder Foundation. Today, a portion of the recovered sculpture can be found at theNational September 11 Memorial & Museum.