Elizabeth Murray called this work “Stream” to evoke the feet of travelers as they stream out along the passageway. Murray has shifted from abstraction to recognizable imagery throughout her career and in this work, she created magical forms that reveal her artistic spirit in the vibrant colored mosaics that fill the passageway. Murray also used imagery with her earlier project, “Blooming,” in the Lexington Av and 59 St station. Here, the radiant colors evoke the new day with rising suns and the giant steps being taken, as the organic and joyous shapes provide an uplifting jolt of energy to the commuters streaming past. 

Elizabeth Murray (1940-2007) was born in Chicago and earned a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Mills College. After earning her MFA, Murray moved to New York, where she developed her artistic style. Through determination and focus, Murray produced singularly innovative works characterized by a Cubist-informed Minimalism and streetwise Surrealism. A comprehensive exhibition of Murray's work was presented at the Museum of Modern Art, the fifth by a woman in the history of the Department of Painting and Sculpture. Murray received numerous awards for her work, including the MacArthur Foundation Genius award. In addition to her teaching position at Bard College, Murray held visiting faculty appointments at several American colleges and universities throughout her career. The Estate of Elizabeth Murray is represented by Gladstone Gallery, New York.