Before she passed last fall, art world legend Agnes Gund — the kind of collector who makes museum directors sweat and then breathe a sigh of relief — quietly launched a project for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Because apparently, the beautiful game needed a little more… well, beauty.
Her brainchild, "Art of the Game," is now officially kicking off. It features 23 massive, artist-designed soccer ball sculptures, meticulously curated by some of the biggest names in the museum world. And they're not just for show; they're popping up all over New York and New Jersey this summer.
The whole thing was organized by ARTS 14C, a Jersey City nonprofit that helps creatives find their footing. Diana Burroughs, the group's executive director and a friend of Gund's for over 40 years, shared a mutual love for sports with the late collector. Gund, ever the connector, quickly opened doors to top city museums, proving that even in the art world, who you know still matters.
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Start Your News DetoxBurroughs expressed a bittersweet regret that Gund isn't here to see her vision fully realized. But her legacy is literally larger-than-life, starting with Katherine Bernhardt's vibrant soccer ball currently holding court at Rockefeller Plaza, right in front of Christie's.
Other heavy hitters involved include graffiti icon Futura 2000, Edgar Heap of Birds, and Taína H. Cruz. These colossal creations were meticulously crafted at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, and you can spot them in parks, plazas, and other public spaces until Labor Day. A few will even become permanent fixtures, because some art is just too good to put away.
And for those with a taste for public art that can also be private art, five of the sculptures – by Fred Wilson, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Hank Willis Thomas, Katherine Bernhardt, and Bony Ramirez – will hit the auction block at Christie's online from July 2 to 17. The proceeds will benefit the artists, ARTS 14C, and Studio in a School, an organization Gund herself founded way back in 1977. Because what's better than art for art's sake? Art for art's sake that also helps kids.
