World in Progress II land art by Saype, United Nations Headquarters, New York, USA
World in Progress II
Saype · “World in Progress II”, biodegradable paint on grass, 11,000 m², 2021 · North Lawn, United Nations Headquarters, New York
Photo by Valentin Flauraud, as credited in Street Art Utopia’s 2021 post. Brooklyn Street Art publishes the same aerial series as “photo © Valentin Flauraud for Saype”
“World in Progress II” is a painting on grass that Saype made on the North Lawn of the United Nations headquarters in New York, inaugurated on 18 September 2021 as Switzerland’s gift for the UN’s 75th anniversary. It covered 11,000 square metres with biodegradable paint and continued a first part painted at the UN in Geneva in June 2020: there, two children imagined the world of tomorrow; here, they build it. It was made to fade, and the newest dated photos we found are from the inauguration day.
5 things to know
- A Swiss gift for the UN at 75Swiss Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and UN Secretary-General António Guterres inaugurated the work on 18 September 2021. The UN’s own event note calls it “a gift from the Swiss Mission”; Switzerland’s mission site calls it “a gift from Switzerland to the UN for the organization’s 75th anniversary”. Swiss Federal Council · UN · Switzerland in the UN
- Part two of a pairThe first “World in Progress” was unveiled at the Palais des Nations in Geneva in June 2020. Switzerland’s mission: “The fresco in New York shows them building it.” The UN note says the children now bring their ideas to life through “pencil sketches and origami folds”. Swiss Federal Council · Switzerland in the UN · UN
- 11,000 square metres of lawnThe artist’s own page gives “11.000m2”, “Biodegradable on grass”, and the coordinates of the spot; Switzerland’s mission writes “(11’000 square meters)”, and the Swiss government “11,000-square-metre”. saype-artiste.com · Switzerland in the UN · Swiss Federal Council
- Chalk, charcoal and waterSwitzerland’s mission says the fresco “was created with an eco-friendly paint made of water, chalk and charcoal”, and quotes Saype: “Some people use words to express themselves. In my case, I use chalk and charcoal.” Switzerland in the UN
- Made to disappearSwitzerland’s mission quotes Guterres: “In just a few weeks, it will disappear without a trace.” Wikipedia says Saype’s grass paintings disappear after about a month as the grass grows back. Switzerland in the UN · Wikipedia
Check-in guide
- 📍
- The North Lawn of the United Nations Headquarters in New York (UN, Switzerland in the UN, Brooklyn Street Art).
- 🧭
- The Maps button opens the coordinates on the artist’s page for the work, 40°45’04.9″N 73°58’00.3″W (saype-artiste.com).
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- The painting was ephemeral: Guterres said it would disappear within a few weeks (Switzerland in the UN). The newest dated photos we found were taken on 18 September 2021; we found no dated photo of the lawn after that.
Sightings
- 202118 Sep
UN event note
- 202118 Sep
Inauguration photos
- 202118 Sep
Swiss government release
- 202120 Sep
I Support Street Art report
- 202121 Sep
In SAU “Two children…”
- 202122 Sep
Brooklyn Street Art report
- 20268 Oct
In SAU “American Street Art”
Every stamp links to the dated source. The green stamp is the gallery of the inauguration on 18 September 2021 on the Swiss mission’s site, with photos of guests on the lawn and of “The traces of the work on the ground”. Amber stamps are records, reports and reposts. The aerial photo at the top has no date of its own; the earliest copies we found were published on 20 and 21 September 2021. We found no dated photo of the lawn after the inauguration week.
On the record
Inauguration of “World in Progress II”
“After being postponed many times due to the pandemic, the artist Saype and his team, accompanied by representatives at the highest level of the UN and Switzerland, were able to inaugurate a gigantic fresco (11’000 square meters) painted on the North Lawn of the UN Headquarters in New York.”
Gallery page of Switzerland’s Security Council campaign site, run by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. It names Ignazio Cassis, António Guterres and Guillaume Legros a.k.a. “Saype” among those at the inauguration.
Swiss Artist Saype: Art Installation
“The artist had depicted children drawing their dream world of tomorrow as part of the 75th anniversary of the UN in Geneva. Now these same children will bring their ideas to life at UNHQ – a universal farandole will be created through pencil sketches and origami folds.”
One-page event note for UN High-level Week, issued by the UN Department of Global Communications. It adds: “The work will be painted on the north lawn of UNHQ and will provide an enormous striking visual captured by aerial drone.”
Saype in New York for General Assembly – and Celebrate 75 Years of United Nations with gift from Geneva to NYC
“Completing a cross Atlantic bookending of public artworks that few ever could, the French-Swiss artist Saype was at the UN this week for the General Assembly meeting – and to complete a project he began at the UN in Geneva.”
The article quotes Saype’s hope that the work will “Remind them that they must not lose sight of the luminous ideal of peace between nations – hand in hand with the preservation of their environmental world heritage.”
The facts
- Artist
- Saype, born Guillaume Legros (saype-artiste.com, Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland in the UN, Wikipedia) Checked
- Title
- “World in Progress II” (saype-artiste.com, Swiss Federal Council, UN) Checked
- Made
- 2021; inaugurated on 18 September 2021 (Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland in the UN, UN) Checked. The exact days of painting: no source found Unconfirmed
- Occasion
- Switzerland’s gift to the UN for its 75th anniversary, unveiled during the General Assembly’s High-level Week, days after Guterres launched “Our Common Agenda” (Switzerland in the UN, UN, Swiss Federal Council) Checked
- Series
- Second part of “World in Progress”; the first was painted at the Palais des Nations in Geneva in June 2020 (Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland in the UN, I Support Street Art) Checked
- Size
- 11,000 square metres (saype-artiste.com, Switzerland in the UN, Swiss Federal Council, Brooklyn Street Art) Checked
- Materials
- Biodegradable paint on grass (saype-artiste.com, Brooklyn Street Art) Checked; made of water, chalk and charcoal, according to Switzerland’s mission (Switzerland in the UN) Reported
- Image
- Two children building the world of tomorrow, surrounded by a “universal farandole” of figures, made through “pencil sketches and origami folds” (UN, Switzerland in the UN) Checked
- Place
- North Lawn, United Nations Headquarters, New York; the artist gives 40°45’04.9″N 73°58’00.3″W (saype-artiste.com, UN, Switzerland in the UN) Checked
- Our photo
- The aerial photo at the top matches the description of the work and the photos Brooklyn Street Art credits “photo © Valentin Flauraud for Saype”; Street Art Utopia’s 2021 post credits it to Valentin Flauraud (Brooklyn Street Art, Street Art Utopia) Reported
- Status
- Seen September 2021: inauguration photos of 18 September 2021 show guests on the lawn (Switzerland in the UN) Checked. Guterres said the work would “disappear without a trace” within weeks (Switzerland in the UN) Reported. A dated photo of the lawn after September 2021: none found Unconfirmed
Related
- On Street Art Utopia: 12 photos: Two children working to build the world of tomorrow (New York) (21 September 2021), with photos by Valentin Flauraud, and American Street Art (7 Photos) (8 October 2026), where the photo above appears as work no. 4.
- The Geneva first part and the Swiss inauguration release. Swiss Federal Council
- Saype’s list of his ephemeral works, with this one at the UN in New York. saype-artiste.com
All sources (7)
This work
- Saype: “World in Progress II”, the artist’s site, undated. “Biodegradable on grass”, “11.000m2”, “UN, New York City (USA) 2021”, coordinates 40°45’04.9″N 73°58’00.3″W (used for the Maps button).
- Swiss Federal Council: “Ignazio Cassis inaugurates artist Saype’s giant land art painting at the United Nations in New York”, media release, Bern, 18 September 2021. Inauguration with António Guterres, 11,000 square metres, first part in Geneva in June 2020.
- Switzerland in the UN: “Inauguration of “World in Progress II””, gallery of 18 September 2021 on the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs campaign site. North Lawn, 11’000 square meters, paint of water, chalk and charcoal, quotes by Guterres and Saype; photos of the inauguration.
- United Nations: “Swiss Artist Saype: Art Installation”, event note for High-level Week, 18 September 2021, issued by the UN Department of Global Communications. North lawn of UNHQ, gift from the Swiss Mission, “pencil sketches and origami folds”.
Reports
- I Support Street Art: “Saype unveils giant art piece at UN headquarters in NYC”, 20 September 2021. Biodegradable paint from natural pigments, Geneva first part in June 2020; photos by Valentin Flauraud.
- Brooklyn Street Art: “Saype in New York for General Assembly – and Celebrate 75 Years of United Nations with gift from Geneva to NYC”, 22 September 2021. North Lawn, 11,000 square meters, biodegradable paint; aerial photos “© Valentin Flauraud for Saype”.
The artist
- Wikipedia: “Saype”. Born Guillaume Legros in Belfort in 1989; grass paintings disappear after about a month; UN works in New York, Geneva and Nairobi in 2021 and 2022.
Artwork File · Last checked 9 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files