Painting
The World Trade Center - 1963
- Description
- Diptych painting titled The World Trade Center - 1963, by Marc Awodey (1960-2012), created between 2001-2009. The painting consists of two panels oriented vertically. The first panel is an acrylic painting depicting the Twin Towers. Next to the Towers is a printed reproduction of an interview that took place between William Awodey and Marc Awodey about the destruction of the World Trade Center on 9/11. William Awodey was one of the original architects of the Towers and the father of the artist, Marc. The second panel is an acrylic painting based on an original photograph depicting the design team at Minuro Yamasaki’s office studying the project model and other documents for the construction of the World Trade Center.
- Historical Notes
- In 1962, the Port of New York Authority commissioned architect Minoru Yamasaki (1912-1986) and his firm to design the World Trade Center. Together, client and architect considered many possibilities before agreeing on the plan for the buildings that came to be known as the Twin Towers.
Curator's Comment
William Louis Awodey (1934-2021) worked for the architectural firm of Minoru Yamasaki and Associates, based in Troy, Michigan. He received degrees in construction management and architecture from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University respectively. Upon Yamasaki’s receipt of the Port Authority’s commission for the World Trade Center in the 1960s, Awodey was one of the twelve architects enlisted to advance the project’s multi-part, aspirational design. His then-young sons Steven and Marc grew up hearing their father’s commentary about the firm’s progress on this famous undertaking.
Marc achieved adult recognition as a painter, poet, and teacher based in Burlington, Vermont. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Marc reached out to his father to capture his thoughts about the violent erasure of the Towers for a newspaper article. Marc published the resulting interview in the Vermont weekly Seven Days on September 19, 2001. Although William knew none of the victims, he professed devastation at the targeting of these iconic buildings and the horrific impact of their successive collapses.
From that interview grew Marc’s idea for a composition: a diptych with the resulting interview exchange between father and son incorporated as an archival addendum.
Marc achieved adult recognition as a painter, poet, and teacher based in Burlington, Vermont. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Marc reached out to his father to capture his thoughts about the violent erasure of the Towers for a newspaper article. Marc published the resulting interview in the Vermont weekly Seven Days on September 19, 2001. Although William knew none of the victims, he professed devastation at the targeting of these iconic buildings and the horrific impact of their successive collapses.
From that interview grew Marc’s idea for a composition: a diptych with the resulting interview exchange between father and son incorporated as an archival addendum.
- Accession Number: C.2022.79.1
- Dimensions: 77 in X 40 in X 3/4 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 195.58 cm X 101.6 cm X 7.62 cm
- Source: Steven Awodey
- Credit Line: Gift of Steve Awodey
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