The Palm Beach Daily News/The Shiny Sheet: “First temporary art installation debuts at Royal Poinciana Plaza”

If you’ve strolled through the east courtyard of the Royal Poinciana Plaza lately you might wonder, what are those meteor-like shapes scattered on the lawn?

They’re Nathan Slate Joseph’s Unigami, the renovated plaza’s first temporary art installation. The 11 copper sculptures were installed Tuesday and will be on view through April.

“Hosting public art on the property adds yet another element to the guest experience at the property,” said Lori Berg, the plaza’s general manager. “The Royal Poinciana Plaza is a global destination for true luxury, good food and community events, and arts and culture are no less important.”

The plaza plans to host more temporary art installations, she said.

Berg found out about Joseph’s work when she ran into Ben Leone, son of The Breakers’ CEO Paul Leone, at The Honor Bar in the plaza during the December holiday season.

Leone, who has a degree in studio art, has been working with Joseph, who has a studio in the Hamptons, for two years. He and Joseph set up a studio in West Palm Beach where they can work during the Hamptons’ off-season.

“Palm Beach and West Palm Beach have this new, exciting energy,” said Leone, who grew up in Palm Beach. “It’s a great time to come down here.”

Berg was charmed by Joseph’s and Leone’s description of the sculptures as “whimsical,” she said. “We knew at that moment the art would be a befitting aesthetic for Royal Poinciana Plaza — a place of whimsy, discovery and idyllic nature.”Joseph moved from Israel to New York City in the 1960s. Like his contemporaries Frank Stella, Carl Andre and John Chamberlain, he developed an affinity for industrial urbanized materials, simplified forms and found objects.