Made of industrial steel I-beams, a material Mark di Suvero has worked with frequently throughout his career, E=MC² towers over viewers in the form of an open, four-sided pyramid. From the apex where the I-beams converge sprout four stainless-steel rhomboids, suggesting the edges of an inverted triangular prism reaching further toward the sky. Standing at 92 feet, 9 inches, E=MC² is the tallest sculpture Mark di Suvero has made to date, as well as the tallest work ever to be shown at Storm King. On the impact of the work, di Suvero has stated, “I think that as a piece, it is uplifting because it gives you the sense of the capacity to soar, to embrace space in an open way.”

E=MC² is a formula, developed by renowned physicist Albert Einstein, known as the “Special Theory of Relativity.” Di Suvero, who explores themes of physics, scale, and weight in his work, was inspired by Einstein’s discovery of a relationship between energy (E), mass (M), and the speed of light (C), noting “the capacity to discover something that will change all of human existence is wonderful.”

Installed in Storm King’s South Fields, E=MC² is in the company of other large-scale sculptures by di Suvero, five of which are in the Art Center’s permanent collection. In a recent Oral History interview, the artist reflected, “Having [works] at Storm King is like having jewels in velvet.”