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Artwork damaged or destroyed in the September 11 attacks

From Alfawiki

In 2001, the September 11 attacks resulted in the loss of roughly $110 million worth of artwork, comprising $100 million from private collections and $10 million from public art installations. A significant portion of these artworks lacked adequate insurance coverage. AXA Art, a specialist in art insurance, characterized the event as "the largest single catastrophe ever to impact the [art] sector."

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey possessed nearly 100 pieces of art within the World Trade Center complex, along with seven public artworks— all either destroyed or heavily damaged. The brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald reportedly stored around 300 sculptures by Rodin.

Public art

Approximately $10 million worth of public artworks were lost due to the collapse of the World Trade Center. At the time of the attacks, the site featured eight distinct public art pieces:

Recovery

  • The artworks Ideogram, The World Trade Center Tapestry, and Sky Gate, New York were never found and are presumed destroyed.
  • Although Cloud Fortress survived the collapse, it sustained severe damage and was subsequently removed by rescue teams.
  • Portions of Bent Propeller were salvaged.
  • Only fragments of the 1993 Bombing Memorial Fountain were recovered.
  • The Sphere incurred damage but was restored and is now exhibited as a memorial piece.

In addition to these seven public works, the Port Authority maintained a collection of approximately 100 artworks within the complex, including:

Private art collections

At the time of the attacks, over 430 tenants occupied offices within the World Trade Center. Many contained decorative art pieces, while some companies curated substantial corporate art collections.

Three organizations—Fred Alger, Cantor Fitzgerald, and Bank of America—held prominent corporate art collections inside the complex. Other firms stored their artworks offsite.

Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald, which experienced the highest number of casualties, also suffered the greatest loss in terms of artwork. Their offices on the North Tower's 105th floor included an exhibition space housing an estimated 300 casts of sculptures by Rodin.

Several Rodin sculptures were retrieved approximately a quarter mile from Ground Zero, including a bust from The Burghers of Calais, two figures from The Three Shades, and a cast of The Thinker. Following recovery, the cast of The Thinker disappeared and is believed to have been stolen.

Citigroup

The Citigroup office located in 7 World Trade Center contained a collection of 1,113 artworks, all of which were lost during the events of September 11, 2001, as reported by then-curator Suzanne F. W. Lemakis. Approximately three-quarters of these pieces were prints, many of which were mass-produced and could be replaced. The collection also included antique English and American furniture alongside Asian porcelain items. Among the most prized was a large Wall Street mural created by an unidentified artist.

Fred Alger

Situated in the North Tower, Fred Alger's collection featured photographic works by renowned artists such as Cindy Sherman and Hiroshi Sugimoto, which were destroyed in the attacks.

Bank of America

Bank of America's office at the World Trade Center lost more than 100 contemporary art pieces as a result of the destruction.

J.P. Morgan Chase

At that time, J.P. Morgan Chase maintained only five lithographs at its Trade Center location. The bulk of its corporate art collection, numbering over 17,000 works, was stored in nearby offices two blocks away from the site.

Windows on the World

The famed bar Windows on the World, located in One World Trade Center, showcased four light sculptures entitled Skyscrapers by artist Dan Dailey. These sculptures combined blown glass, nickel-plated bronze, steel, and fiber optics but were lost during the attacks.

Art studios in the World Trade Center

The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council operated from offices in Building 5 and maintained two artist studios on the 91st and 92nd floors of the North Tower. Its residency program, called World Views, hosted 15 international artists between May and November 2001. Nearly all artworks produced within these studios perished when the towers collapsed. Among those lost was Jamaican-born sculptor Michael Richards, who died while working on an unfinished memorial dedicated to the Tuskegee Airmen. Additionally, all archival materials stored in Building 5 were destroyed.

Government art collections

At the Pentagon, 24 artworks were completely destroyed while another 40 suffered significant damage; none of these pieces were insured. Renee Klish, curator for Army art, highlighted their historical significance rather than financial value, whereas Marine art curator Jack Dyer referred to these losses as "cultural casualties."

The United States Army lost eight paintings housed within the Army Center of Military History, including notable works such as O.D. One Each, The Battle of Attleboro by Gary Porter, and The Nucklebusters. Of nearly 200 Navy artworks held at the Pentagon, two remain missing; one endured severe smoke damage while about 40 sustained minor harm. The United States Air Force lost ten paintings focused on aircraft themes, and the United States Marine Corps lost seven pieces—comprising six lithographs or paintings and one print—with an additional seven artworks damaged.

On September 11, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon library, which housed over half a million books and documents dating back to the early 19th century. Although all library personnel escaped unharmed, Chief Army Librarian Ann Parham suffered facial burns. The library’s collection was neither fully catalogued nor insured and sustained damage from mold growth, soot containing hydrochloric acid, asbestos debris, water infiltration, and smoke exposure. Restoration efforts costing $500,000 successfully preserved approximately 99% of the collection along with all historically significant materials.

See also

Bibliography

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