McCall's beams are the rare artwork you enter rather than face, and Line Describing a Cone is one of the genuinely foundational objects of postwar art, still doing its slow trick fifty years on. Seeing it in the same room as a brand-new piece shows how far the idea has travelled without losing its core. It is a commercial gallery, which means walking in costs nothing and nobody hurries you.
What to expect
Darkened rooms with haze in the air so the projected volumes read as solid. The works run in cycles that take many minutes to complete, so give each one a full pass rather than a glance. You are meant to walk into and through the beams. Sound accompanies two of the three pieces. Free entry, no ticket, and it is a short walk from the Hudson Yards end of the High Line.
Good to know
- Commercial galleries are free to walk into, with no ticket or booking
- The gallery is closed on Sundays and Mondays, which rules out half of most weekends
- Each work runs on a cycle lasting many minutes, so allow time to see one resolve
- Rooms are dark and hazed; let your eyes adjust before deciding what you are looking at
- It sits near the northern end of the High Line, easy to pair with a walk
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Common questions
Is it free?
Yes. Sean Kelly is a commercial gallery and walking in costs nothing.
Can I see it on a Sunday?
No. The gallery opens Tuesday through Saturday, so a weekend visit has to be Saturday.
What is a solid-light work?
A projection with haze in the air so the beam reads as a three-dimensional sculptural volume you can walk through. McCall invented the form in 1973 with Line Describing a Cone.
