Stele Mainufer

Stele Mainufer rises beside the River Main in Frankfurt, on a lawn before the Städel Museum’s main building. The ten-metre monolith uses light-grey Finnish granite. You see its stark vertical form against the skyscrapers across the river, where it belongs to Frankfurt’s Museumsufer.

Ulrich Rückriem erected the work in 1984 during a larger exhibition of his sculptures at the Städel Museum. Its central axis echoes the museum building’s alignment with modern-art galleries inside. That link brings the outdoor stone into visual conversation with the modern masters nearby.

Five equal-height granite sections create the upright form, while drill marks preserve evidence of the making process. The pieces hold together through their own weight. The lowest section sinks partly into the ground as a foundation, giving the apparently separated blocks a steady presence beside the water.