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Fine Art Worth $100M
Lies Under WTC Rubble
By Noelle Knox
USA TODAY.com
9-27-1

NEW YORK - Under the rubble of the World Trade Center lie the remains of 300 Rodin bronze sculptures, a Roy Lichtenstein sculpture, an Alexander Calder sculpture and many other works of art worth more than $100 million.
 
Many companies in the twin towers and surrounding buildings adorned their walls and tables with rare pieces of art that will never be seen again, including Cantor Fitzgerald's collection of Rodin sculptures. Gone too are the huge sculptures in the plazas and the Joan Miró tapestry " all commissioned or purchased by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which set aside 1% of the cost of building the World Trade Center for public art.
 
"Most of the lithographs and etchings are done in limited editions so other examples will still exist," says Arne Glimcher, head of the Pace Wildenstein Gallery. "But things like the (David) Hockney and the Lichtenstein, these are irreplaceable."
 
AXA Nordstern Art Insurance, the world's largest art insurer, estimates losses will top $100 million. AXA, which insured the Rodin sculptures, has set aside $20 million for its share of the claims.
 
Among the most valuable and well-recognized pieces was Calder's 25-foot, red-painted steel sculpture. Looking a bit like a bent propeller or the wings of a giant bird, The World Trade Center Stabile was worth about $25 million, according to an art expert.
 
Louise Nevelson's Sky Gate, New York was another well-known sculpture. "Nevelson's Sky Gate was her largest work in wood," Glimcher says. "It is an enormous loss in the career, and the same can really be said of the Calder. There is only a handful of these monumental and heroic-scale Calders in the world."
 
Many companies in the office towers have scattered to find new office space, so information about their art collections is scarce.
 
Some sculptures may be salvaged. Lichtenstein's 30-foot sculpture Modern Head has been seen on TV news clips, covered in dust and debris. And J. Seward Johnson Jr.'s life-size bronze statue of a man on a bench is still intact.
 
The sculpture, commissioned by Merrill Lynch, is titled Double Check. The open briefcase on the man's lap contains a stapler, calculator, tape recorder, pencils and sometimes an actual sandwich, provided by a passer-by.
 
In recent days, people have put flowers in the man's hand and briefcase. One bouquet had a note that read: "In memory of those who gave their lives to try and save so many."
 
Artists around the world are echoing that sentiment. At the end of November, artists, auction houses, galleries, musicians and entertainers will host a fundraiser called Art for America. The money raised will be donated to a fund for the families of injured or missing rescue workers.
 
As the debate begins over what to do with the destruction site, art is clearly on the minds of some.
 
"It is important to be a place for works of art, not only for a memorial, which is widely called for," says Frank Sanchis, executive director of the Municipal Art Society.
 
"We have asked the city to carefully consider dismantling the remaining fragment of tower No. 2 to possibly incorporate it into a memorial," Sanchis says.
 

 
 
 
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