Richard Serra, whose sculpture “Greenpoint” is a key landmark on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s City Campus, died March 26 at age 85.

Serra, an artist and metal sculptor, died at his Long Island, New York, home.

“Greenpoint” is one of 33 outdoor sculptures from the collection of Sheldon Museum of Art installed across the university’s City and East campuses.

Serra and George Neubert, then director of Sheldon, chose the site for the sculpture — a hub in the network of walkways between Mueller Tower and Love Library — to encourage interplay with existing structures and interaction with pedestrians. The work was dedicated on site Dec. 11, 1992.

“Greenpoint” is composed of two 3-inch-thick Cor-Ten steel walls, each measuring 19 feet by 16 feet and weighing 40,000 pounds. These concave vertical walls face one another, creating an interior space for the viewer to experience in addition to the work’s exterior.

Sheldon’s collection also includes a work on paper by Serra titled “Rosa Parks.” The work is a result of Serra’s collaboration with Gemini G.E.L., a Los Angeles–based print publisher.

Learn more about Serra’s works in the Sheldon collection.

Craig Chandler | University Communication and Marketing

Anna Henson, assistant professor of practice in emerging media arts, talks to her Principles of Interactivity students from within the "Greenpoint" sculpture during an art walk in October 2020.