Painting
Requiem
- Description
- Painting titled Requiem by Samuel Kaplan (1928-2021). The painting depicts the city skyline at night, with buildings painted in vibrant colors and candles stacked on their peaks. The Twin Towers are featured as outlines against the night sky. American flags also adorn many of the buildings. The artist is depicted "flying" over the city, holding candles in each hand. The painting is signed and dated "2001."
- Historical Notes
- For several years before 9/11, Brooklyn-based artist Samuel Kaplan worked on a painting of Manhattan featuring the Twin Towers. Kaplan wanted to depict the World Trade Center’s colorful neighborhood and add playful elements like a group of musicians and toy astronauts. The artist began sketching the latest version of his painting on the morning of September 11. After the attacks, Kaplan reimagined the work to reflect his city in mourning.
Curator's Comment
Samuel Kaplan was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, on July 8, 1928. When he was nine, he and his family relocated to Kyiv, Ukraine. With the outbreak of World War II, however, Kaplan, his mother, and his younger sister, Maya, were forced to evacuate to Orenburg, Russia, near the border of Kazakhstan. Despite the loss of much of his family during the Holocaust, Kaplan returned to Kyiv after the war ended, determined to finish his secondary schooling. Kaplan completed his course work at the Kyiv Art Institute (now known as the National Academy of Visual Arts and Architecture) in 1962.
Kaplan and his wife, Sofia, immigrated to the United States in 1991. Soon after their arrival, however, Sofia died of cancer and Kaplan moved to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to be near his sister and her family.
Kaplan’s artistic style fuses fantastical elements drawn from his imagination with precise details of the urban cityscape. He passed away in 2021.
Kaplan and his wife, Sofia, immigrated to the United States in 1991. Soon after their arrival, however, Sofia died of cancer and Kaplan moved to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to be near his sister and her family.
Kaplan’s artistic style fuses fantastical elements drawn from his imagination with precise details of the urban cityscape. He passed away in 2021.
- Accession Number: C.2019.104.2
- Dimensions: 35 in X 49 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 88.9 cm X 124.46 cm
- Source: Samuel Kaplan
- Credit Line: Gift of the artist, Samuel Kaplan
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