Accession Number2016/2.504
TitleNew York, 9-11-01, 2001
Artist(s)Peter TurnleyObject Creation Date2001Medium & Supportarchival pigment print on paperDimensions 20 in x 24 in (50.8 cm x 60.96 cm);13 ¼ in x 20 in (33.66 cm x 50.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of David and Jennifer KieselsteinSubject matterIn this photograph, Peter Turnley represents first responders searching for survivors amid the still-smoking wreckage of the World Trade Center. Turnley produced this image likely hours following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, which resulted in the complete destruction of the WTC's twin towers. The attacks were devastating and traumatic to the people who experienced it, and the political fallout was far reaching. In this photograph, the rich golds as well as deep reds and blues of the fire and smoke saturate the image, pointing directly to the devastation which has just occurred and giving the scene an ethereal quality. Though this image purports to document a tragic event as it unfolds, one cannot but note the photograph's almost sublime aesthetic effects.
Physical DescriptionAn image of four firemen, each facing away from the viewer and walking among a huge mound of metallic rubble. Smoke and an orange-red glow washes the background.
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Keywords
firefighters
fires (events)
rubble
steam
terrorism