Open Sesame

On Monday night, a group of artists, collectors, and curators watched the sunset over Hanna Liden’s “Everything,” a new site-specific installation sponsored by Kiehls and the Art Production Fund on New York’s Hudson River Park. The title refers to the project’s unusual muse, the bagel, which Liden deploys as a universal symbol of the city. “It was something I didn’t encounter until moving here,” explains Liden, a transplant from Stockholm. “It’s the great icon of New York, it crosses every demographic, every time—from board meetings to funerals.”

In the works for a year, the mammoth public sculptures represent a first for the artist—who until now has only shown her work in galleries and museums. “I’m so honored,” she says. “ When I moved here 17 years ago, I decided to make New York my home. Now I have a chance to give something back.”