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Photos: Yoko Ono Mosaics Brighten New Station

October 4, 2018 | 11:42 PM
in ART
38

Yoko Ono has designed new murals for the 72nd Street subway station that reopened on Thursday, with blue skies, clouds and inspirational sayings.

Thanks to Carol, Justin, Bobby and David for the photos.

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Harold
Harold
6 years ago

With all due respect to Yoko Ono – this is what we get for having the station closed for four months? Really???

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geoff
geoff
6 years ago

thanks for the timely messages that don’t otherwise readily spring to mind, especially during today’s troubling political discourse.

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BillyNYC
BillyNYC
6 years ago

This is wonderful… this is what we need more culture and thank you Yoko Ono for keeping our culture here on the upper West side and let’s spread the word to other artist get involved and spread this kind of culture in to all to see.

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Jen
Jen
6 years ago
Reply to  BillyNYC

First – how is it culture? Only because it was designed by Yoko Ono? What if he something was bought at IKEA?

Second – was she paid for it? If yes, why? It is a tribute to her husband as per her own words and we, regular mortals, normally pay for the memorial for or loved ones, not the other way around. Also, if this mosaic was paid for by MTA, no matter what their budget regulates (“1% for art and stuff..”), this would be a completely unnecessary spending. First things first , let’s fix most important things and then worry about secondary.

And before anyone jumps my throat – I enjoy culture, go to theater and museums on regular basis, good cinema, etc. But we have to realize that subway is in a early bad shape and every single cent should be invested to fix he basics.

So I guess I’m trying to make two points:

1 Can we afford set when subway is falling apar5 and trains and not running as they should?
2 Is it really art just because it is done by a celebrity who wanted to commemorate their loved ones? Especially of the latter, it should have been donated.

We can split hair about every point, but the entire thing doesn’t come across as the right choice.

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Veronia
Veronia
6 years ago

Thank God. Mosaics by Yoko Ono. Now I can go on,

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B flat
B flat
6 years ago

Disappointing that the change is purely cosmetic and does nothing to address ADA.

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Bill
Bill
6 years ago

Inoffensive and pleasant enough, but an open invitation to graffiti vandals.

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Sarah
Sarah
6 years ago

Imagine accessibility!

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Charlie
Charlie
6 years ago

“Imagine Peace”? How about the MTA imagining more trains that run on time and less crowded cars. It’s hard to Imagine Peace on the 2 or 3 trains at 8:30 in the morning. Lots of other things come to mind though…

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diane
diane
6 years ago
Reply to  Charlie

Totally agree. They look beautiful, but we need more trains, newer trains and trains that run on time. This was probably the cheapest thing the MTA could do to make it LOOK like they’re improving the system.

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your_neighbor
your_neighbor
6 years ago

It looks like a lovely mural.
Hopefully Yoko Ono donated it – not like she needs the money.
She, like us, can be enriched by the pleasure of looking at it every morning on the way downtown to work.

If she didn’t donate it, hopefully there was a competition with other deserving artists to decorate the station with our tax dollars.

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George on CPW
George on CPW
6 years ago

Murals are nice, but they won’t be of any help to handicappped people in getting up and down from the street to the platform. What stupidity to renovate a station so extensively and not provide an elevator or escalator.

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Charles
Charles
6 years ago

Good grief. I could have done that for $100. And it looks as though they spent even less that that!

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Steve
Steve
6 years ago

Too bad Gov. Cuomo made sure nobody could design elevators for the station so people with mobility impairments would be able to get around town!

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Zach
Zach
6 years ago

Really nice touch. Get ready to navigate past IG’ing tourists. But smart. Bet NYers paid a fortune for the renovation.

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james
james
6 years ago

oh, yoko…you can do no wrong.

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James
James
6 years ago

Is it finished? I stopped by yesterday and it didn’t seem finished. The ceiling and floor were unfinished, is that how they are going to leave it?

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Maria Colorado
Maria Colorado
6 years ago

FELICITACIONES DESDE ESPAÑA !!
MARAVILLOSA INICIATIVA
GRACIAS

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Dandy Man
Dandy Man
6 years ago

I don’t see blue skies….
So amazing that they can inconvenience an entire neighborhood for months and months, and that’s the redone station? Gum stains still on the steps, would have been nice to powerwash…ceiling looks like it wasn’t even painted…🎼does anybody care, is anybody there…does anybody see what I see🎼
#accountability

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Eric
Eric
6 years ago

What is troubling? Someone who has a different opinion than you?

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Outraged
Outraged
6 years ago

Ok, this is nice. MTA, any suggestions for the fact that I can’t even get up and down the stairs to the subway anyway?

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Jules
Jules
6 years ago

Imagine the train showing up within a reasonable amount of time.

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Rachel Lulov Segall
Rachel Lulov Segall
6 years ago

The murals are beautiful!Thank you.

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Grace
Grace
6 years ago

Imagine Peace? She should have written, “Imagine a country that doesn’t have a racist, sexist, psycho as President. PS–if you’re waiting for a train, bring a book–you’ll need it.”

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John
John
6 years ago

Wow, what talent. A bunch of clouds.

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Florence
Florence
6 years ago

Murals are nice but an escalator or elevator would have been nicer.

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Catherine Ann
Catherine Ann
6 years ago

Beautiful, thanks Yoko ❤️

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UWS TOURS by BILLYNYC
UWS TOURS by BILLYNYC
6 years ago

This will be now on the tour list for places to see and go here on the Upper Westside. Hopefully the MTA will grant the tours “no charge” to view this beautiful work down under by Yoko Ono.

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Ethan
Ethan
6 years ago

Meh, nothing more than buying indulgences for being responsible for the Beatles breakup.

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Kathleen Treat
Kathleen Treat
6 years ago

SO BEAUTIFUL! Thank you, Yoko, for this gift to New Yorkers.

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young man!
young man!
6 years ago
Reply to  Kathleen Treat

Who said this was a gift?
From anything I can see this was paid for by NYC taxpayers and MTA riders from the mandatory public art expenditure.
It would have been better if this money was available in a competition for all artists rather than just one semi-famous, wealthy, well connected person who wanted to make a memorial to her late husband.

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Alison
Alison
6 years ago

I agee – cosmetic changes are lovely but
meaningless when the infrastructure is in such disrepair and the station remains handicapped inaccessible.

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Pic Vic
Pic Vic
6 years ago

Imagine B and C trains running more often.

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Henry
Henry
6 years ago

LOVE THE MOSAiICS
Thank U , YokoOno

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Bruce E. Bernstein
Bruce E. Bernstein
6 years ago

the churlishness above by some towards Yoko Ono, an UWS icon, is astonishing.

i’m sure Yoko didn’t take payment for this. And she has nothing to do with late trains or ADA compliance! she’s trying to make the mornings of the riders just a little bit more pleasant.

thank you Yoko!!

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Sarah
Sarah
6 years ago
Reply to  Bruce E. Bernstein

I don’t think anyone is blaming Yoko Ono for the lack of ADA compliance at this station, but it is certainly fair to question the renovation priorities of the MTA. I’m still far from sure refusing to add elevators was even legal here.

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Bruce E. Bernstein
Bruce E. Bernstein
6 years ago
Reply to  Sarah

Sarah,

a lot of people are going beyond the mTA and criticizing Yoko Ono. Please read the comments over.

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Carlos
Carlos
6 years ago

I really hope she was not paid for that. There are countless better uses for the money than that.

I frequent the 86th Street 1 station and the art work by local students is a great way to add a little color to the station and costs virtually nothing while being a great showcase for talented students. I’m not sure why that wasn’t sufficient for this station.

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