Did Al Held paint the world’s largest watercolor? He could very well have. Passing Through (2003), an incredibly detailed 56-foot-long watercolor on seven panels, is currently hanging in Al’s historic painting studio, on view to the public for the first time since its premiere at the J. Johnson Gallery, Jacksonville, Florida, in 2006. The watercolor is in fact a maquette for Held’s Metropolitan Transit Authority commission to design a public work for the renovated Lexington Avenue / 53rd Street subway station. As was his practice, Held produced an epic image, which was translated into a 102-foot-long glass tile mosaic, completed in 2004. The title suggests the ideal way to experience this painting is to walk alongside as the imagery evolves and shifts over time.
Photos by David Schulze.