Adam was created using Liberman’s unique approach to making large sculptures. An assistant driving a crane would position the various elements and weld them together temporarily; Liberman then photographed the assembled sculpture, printed and cut the elements, and repositioned and pasted them in varying positions until the composition seemed right. Using grease pencil, he then drew the composition on a photograph, mirroring the manner in which layout pages in magazines are created.

First exhibited in 1970 outside the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC, Adam incited outrage on the part of President Richard Nixon, who demanded the sculpture be relocated to the less visible venue of Haines Point. The work arrived at Storm King a few years later. Liberman did not create site-specific sculpture, arguing instead that his work had the strength to create its own environment.