COLLEGEVILLE, PA.- An iconic public sculpture that was once a familiar sight to millions in Midtown Manhattan has moved from the bustling streets of New York City to the tree-lined Ursinus College campus.

Cubed Curve (1972), by American sculptor William Crovello, joins the collection at the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art after 42 years adorning the plaza of the Time-Life Building on West 50th Street and Sixth Avenue (the Avenue of the Americas). A Manhattan landmark for many passersby, it was donated to the Berman Museum by the Rockefeller Group. It was installed in front of the museum on Main Street on the Ursinus campus on Monday, Oct. 22.

“We are delighted to receive this major gift, which signals the growth of our collection and programming at the museum,” Berman Museum Director Charles Stainback said. “Just as it was a recognizable feature in New York City, so too will it be a place marker and meeting place on our campus, as well as a symbol of our commitment to showcasing the best examples of contemporary art.”

Light blue in color and geometric in shape, the 3,500-pound sculpture consists of formed, bent and welded stainless steel plate that measures 144 inches high by 48 inches long.

In the 1950s, Crovello spent time in Japan, where he gained an appreciation for calligraphy. This work of art is said to have been inspired by the motion of making a brushstroke. Cubed Curve is a seminal example of the artist’s skill in silhouetting open and closed spaces in three-dimensional form.

Cubed Curve was installed outside the Time-Life Building in 1972. It was presented by the Association for a Better New York, Inc. As of 2015, the plaza at the Time-Life Building has been undergoing a massive renovation.

Born in New York in 1929, sculptor William Crovello studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design from 1947-51, the Art Students League and Columbia University. He joined the Air Force in 1952 and was stationed in Japan from 1954-55. After his service, Crovello returned to Japan in 1957 where he took to the art and study of calligraphy. In 1963, he began to devote himself to sculpture.