''Sky Gate, New York'' was a sculpture by the artist
Louise Nevelson, located in the mezzanine of the
North Tower of the
World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may refer to:
Buildings
* List of World Trade Centers
* World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, from 1978 until its 2001 destruction in the
collapse
Collapse or its variants may refer to:
Concepts
* Collapse (structural)
* Collapse (topology), a mathematical concept
* Collapsing manifold
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** ...
of the buildings during the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
.
Nevelson was inspired by a New York skyline view she had seen from a flight from New York to Washington, saying the work was a translation of the skyline, calling her sculpture a "night piece" representing the "windows of New York".
History
The sculpture was commissioned by Saul Wenegrat, director of the art program for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, for the World Trade Center and its "Percent For Art" program.
The piece evolved through several redesigns before its dedication.
The largest work the sculptor had created to date,
the wall piece was 32 feet wide, 17 feet tall and a foot thick
— and comprised more than 35 segments, each a dark painted wood relief. Completed in 1977 or 1978 (reported variously), ''Sky Gate was dedicated at the mezzanine of One World Trade Center on December 12, 1978, overlooking
Austin J. Tobin Plaza.
Kitty Carlisle Hart
Kitty Carlisle Hart (born Catherine Conn; September 3, 1910 – April 17, 2007) was an American actress, singer, and spokeswoman for the arts. She was the leading lady of the Marx Brothers movie '' A Night at the Opera'' (1935) and was a regular ...
, chair of the
New York State Council on the Arts
The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell (1905–1996), ...
presided over the ceremony.
The sculpture was destroyed during the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
in 2001 and was not recovered.
See also
*
Bent Propeller
''Bent Propeller'' (also known as ''World Trade Center Stabile'') was a red stainless steel sculpture by Alexander Calder.
Description
The main elements of the sculpture were three sheets of curved metal, linked together to form a static work re ...
*
Artwork damaged or destroyed in the September 11 attacks
An estimated $110 million of art was lost in the September 11 attacks: $100 million in private art and $10 million in public art. Much of the art was not insured for its full value.
In October 2001, a spokesperson for insurance specialists AXA ...
References
Destroyed sculptures
1978 sculptures
*
1978 establishments in New York City
2001 disestablishments in New York (state)
Artworks in the World Trade Center
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