Zurab Tsereteli describing his public art work in Moscow
Internationally renowed Russo-Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli will be in Bayonne, New Jersey on September 11, 2006 for a public ceremony dedicating a monument "To the Struggle Against World Terrorism".
The Associated Press reports that "The monument also has been billed as a gift from 'Russian President Vladimir Putin, the people of Russia and the artist' to the people of the United States, in the spirit of France's gift of the Statue of Liberty. The segments of the monument arrived in New Jersey from Russia last September, shortly before Putin attended a groundbreaking in Bayonne when he traveled to New York for meetings at the United Nations."
Fox News has an earlier version of the story discussing the controversy over whether some names should be removed from the monument. Unlike many other 9/11 memorials, the site includes the names of six people killed in the first terrorist attempt to bring down the World Trade Center, in 1993. New York and New Jersey officials are in talks with the artist's lawyer to decide about the other names not found in the official list of WTC dead.
Click on the extended post to see the monument and read the full AP article.
Artist's concept of the Bayonne 9/11 Memorial facing the Manhattan skyline
Teardrop sculpture in Bayonne to be dedicated on Sept. 11
By JANET FRANKSTON, Associated Press Writer
Published: Friday, July 28, 2006
Updated: Friday, July 28, 2006
BAYONNE, N.J. (AP) - At 100 feet tall, the bronze sculpture on the Bayonne waterfront is hard to miss.
The massive memorial evokes the World Trade Center that once sat across the Hudson River. Jagged lines divide the monument into two tower-like pieces, and a 40-foot steel teardrop gently hangs in the open center, like a bell.
On fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli will dedicate his 175-ton work, which sits on a former military base, past the entrance to a cruise terminal, at the tip of a peninsula. The Statue of Liberty is just across the water.
The names of the people who died in the 1993 and Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are etched in granite, in slabs that will form an 11-sided base.
There's some question about the accuracy of the names on the base. The memorial lists 3,024 names, according to the artist's attorney. That's 45 more than the official count of 2,979, which includes six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and the 2,973 killed on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
New York City officials removed 43 names in 2003 and 2004 from the list of the dead at the trade center, saying some people had tried to fake their own deaths, while others had been falsely reported missing or their deaths could not be proven to have occurred at ground zero.
Emily Madoff, an attorney for the artist, said after trying to determine the correct list of names from several sources, she asked for confirmation from Kenneth Feinberg, the former special master of a federal Sept. 11 victim compensation fund, who referred her to a book published by The New York Times in 2003.
"We tried so hard to make it right," Madoff said. "If we erred, we erred on the side of inclusion." She said she stands by her list of names as being "the most accurate one we could possibly find," she said.
The sculpture, "To The Struggle Against World Terrorism," will be the centerpiece of a two-acre park nearing completion in Bayonne, whose officials are happy to have the public art.
Like the 72-year-old artist, known for grand statues that some critics have called more "kitsch" than art, the sculpture isn't without controversy.
The first plan had the sculpture located on the Jersey City waterfront, but city officials there rejected it.
Mayor Jerramiah Healy said leaders didn't realize the monument's height and thought it would impede views of the Hudson and New York City skyline. He said the city's arts community didn't like it, either.
"Their message to the council was clear: it was not just unpleasant, but almost to the point of offensive," he said. "We're happy that Bayonne is happy and we're happy that Mr. Tsereteli is happy."
City officials in Bayonne welcomed the sculpture. They offered up a site, on city-owned land planned for redevelopment.
The city is not paying for the memorial, but agreed to pay $1.25 million to create the first phase of the waterfront park, said Bayonne Mayor Joe Doria.
"It's a very important memorial," he said. "We should be working against the terrorism that resulted in the attack on 9/11. The teardrop is an excellent context of what we have to do."
It's unclear how the monument is being funded, but Tsereteli calls it "his gift." He said he didn't want to take any money from the Russian government, but declined to elaborate.
Madoff said the materials, shipping, labor and cost to create the base is about $12 million.
The monument also has been billed as a gift from "Russian President Vladimir Putin, the people of Russia and the artist" to the people of the United States, in the spirit of France's gift of the Statue of Liberty.
The segments of the monument arrived in New Jersey from Russia last September, shortly before Putin attended a groundbreaking in Bayonne when he traveled to New York for meetings at the United Nations.
The monument came in five parts - four pieces that would be assembled to become the memorial - and the tear.
Tsereteli returned to Bayonne this month to put the finishing touches on his sculpture.
"From here if you looked at the trade towers, they looked as if they were blended as one," Tsereteli said through a translator, his 28-year-old grandson Vasili, pointing across the water.
Tsereteli said the tear symbolizes "sadness over grief that will become happiness in the future when terrorism is defeated."
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Associated Press Writer Amy Westfeldt contributed to this report.
Comments
Decent looking sculpture, although I fear it is still a bit too self-pitying. I would think a recreation of the Statue of Liberty with a sword much like "Mother Russia" in Volgograd, would be more apt as a symbol of fighting terrorism. But then I am not an artist, so what do I know.
I have to admit, there was one thing that the Soviet Union got right, and that was its state-funded art and architecture. That was pretty much it, though.
Posted by: Jason Herr | August 1, 2006 10:27 AM
This report is pretty shocking. This monument has already been built but you are using an artist rendering, which makes it look far better than it does. Why not use an actual photograph? Too ugly to stain your blog with?
I'm amazed that you can discuss this topic without mentioning the massive controversy that has swirled around the statue, which has been nearly universally attacked as a monstrosity and been booted out of every decent place it might have been erected, ultimately being relegated to backwater Bayonne New Jersey.
Posted by: Lenard | August 1, 2006 3:53 PM
The monument tells it like it was.
Posted by: White Buffalo Woman | August 5, 2006 7:25 AM
What's ugly? I think the statue is beautiful! The tear should remind all of us Americans of the cost of terrorism... And may be a sword is not a good idea against evil. Perhaps Russians know how to win over evil. For a hundred years they have battled against evil, and if it wasn't for Russia, we probably would have never won the World War 2. I would say that Russia is probably the only country that knows how to cry, and we need to calm our senses and realize that life is not all about parties and rock and roll...
Posted by: Nick | September 12, 2006 11:22 AM
Will someone please remind the American people to learn how to say thank you? My school lost a beautiful graduate,had grads working nearby forever affected by what they saw that day, and a neighbor who managed to save more than a few people. I look forward to viewing your creation. Mr. Tsereteli, President Putin, and the Russian people I am touched by your gift and your gesture.
Posted by: Althea Hyde | September 12, 2006 12:30 PM
Listen-he was not a Russian-Russians are sensless people and they could never built something as beautiful
as this-Tsereteli is a Georgian but lives in Russia and Russians could realy build statue of liberty with a sword(which would look terrible).Did Putin say that Tsereteli was Georgian-no-maybe they will force him to change his surname to Ivanov later.
Posted by: Georgian | September 28, 2006 10:56 PM
People, get real, OMG!
It looks like a giant vagina! For Tsereteli it's just a way to make a bigger name for himself. Putin doesn't give a crap. And Tsereteli is also best buddy-buddy with Moskow's mayor Luzhkov. Please. Really. This has nothing to with our American tragedy.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 7, 2006 12:51 PM
I've seen this vagina. First of all, there are no signs to it, at all. I had to spend an hour to find it behind some industrial backyards of Bayonne. Second, there is no Manhattan skyline or Statue of Liberty seen from there - there is massive ship which obstructs the view.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 8, 2006 4:24 PM
I don't care what anyone says I live in Bayonne and it is by far one of the most beautiful and humbling gifts we have ever recieved.I've been to the monument about am illion times consider its about ten blocks form my hosue and i dont know what aany of you are tlaking about considering it looks exactly like the drawing. As for those who posted in August of 2006 the monument was not finished yet which was why the concept was stil lbeing used for publicity. Im glad jersey city did not want it. It look perfect exactly where it is. the ship of which you speak of that obstrucks the new york skyline currently is the inrepid which not too long ago was stuck in the waters in Ny and is being docked there until they move it. The "industiral backyards" of bayonne is the MOT which was a former army naval base which is now undergoing extensive recontruction. I just wish that for once in peoples lives they could look passed all of their personal and underlying assumtions and focus on the symboloic aspects of it all. if you look through the teardrop you see where the towers once stood. the monument is huge,the teardrop immense in size. every single persons name tht perished that day ornares the bottom all the way around the monument in the most respectible way. before we crisize this gift, can we just imagine how greateful these families are for even such a small token of support. ungrateful bastards.
Posted by: Tiffay Lanza | April 24, 2007 10:47 AM
People who have never seen this should keep their mouths shut! It is a beautiful sculptur. Love the moron who said you can't see the NYC Skyline or the Staue of Liberty from the site. PUT THE CRACK PIPE DOWN!
Posted by: Mark \ Bayonne, NJ | May 27, 2007 9:14 AM
okay, whoever put the comment about it looking like a vagina...you made me cry.
my uncle, and two cousins were in the World Trade Center when the plane flew in.
they died and i will never forget that day.
that statue is a great thing to me.
it means so much...
if you had lost a loved one, you would take back every nasty, hateful thing you ever said.
you are an idiot and i hate you.
every word you said has insulted the American people greatly, but most of all, the people who died from that attack.
you should be ashamed.
i hope you realize what a complete a**hole you are.
Posted by: Anonymous | July 12, 2007 7:27 PM
I saw the sculpture today for the first time. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't even know it was there until today when I was out on my boat with some other people and we went over to see it.
I think it is a very tasteful and fitting memorial. It's artistic and well done. The teardrop is touching.
I can't understand why anyone would have a problem with it.
Posted by: Michael | July 14, 2007 4:30 PM
My husband & I were in Bayonne last week & were told about this monument. There should be many more signs throughout Bayonne & on the road leading to it. We were glad we kept riding to find it, one word says it all "awesome". The area surrounding it is so serene, hope more people go & see it.
Posted by: Carol Jaffe | September 3, 2007 5:31 PM
Yesterday, I stumbled upon a thing of beauty, like discovering a star in the night sky where none were before. I just happened to drive by what was once some military base in bayonne, and now I know they have large ships docking at the site. I wanted to show my wife the large ships, when one was being led out by a pair of big red and white tugs. I was attempting to get as close to the water as I could to look at the ship, that had mountains of containers on board, when it jumped out at me. Glowing in the sunlight was the memorial I had heard about some time ago, a memorial that jersey city did not want, one that I knew only was surrounded with some type of controversey. We drove over to the memorial, quite disinterested in the ship that was now headed across the ocean to ports unknown. We approached the monolith in amazed silence, as if in some holy place that you have the deepest awe and respect for. I started to tell my wife that I knew it was from Russia, and the large shnny hanging object inside the bronze pilar was a sybol of the nation sorrow over the tragedy that we now refer to by number. We explored the sculpture from all angles, walked around to get differnt perspectives with the sun at our back then shinning thru the gash in the middle of the memorial.. We looked up,at the sculpture, and down at the engraved names at the base. I imagined how it would look at night, or in the winter, or with crowds of people about the place. I couldnt believe we were the only people there at this wonderful site. Then a lady pulled up with two small children, she got out, and just like we were old friends instead of strangers, we started to talk about it. Talk about where we were when it happened, how could it have happened, who we knew that were lost, and it just seemed like the most innocent thing to do, to be there and liitle children at the site, that would some day when they grew up, that they would have no better understanding of what happened, then we do now. That this entire tragedy has left all of us children, a little sadder, a little more lost, and at times a little more proud to be an american. It seems odd that a gift of this monument from another country...Russia, is the means to provide that patriotism, but all we have to do is look a little off in the distance, and there in the same harbour, shinning in the sun is another monument, from another foreign country, it too given as a gift to our nation...the statue of liberty. What a great place to have such things, too inspire, and perhaps to provide hope and belief in the right things for the world, that nations can admire each other, and destruction may one day cease and mankind can be given a chance to flourish in the breeze, as the american flags fly overhead. Well thanks Mother Russia, I Love your gift, it will remain in my heart and mind forever.
...Apple
Posted by: robert piombino | September 9, 2007 7:21 PM
THANK YOU to all of the Russian people who were involved in this gift to our country. It is embarrassing that any fellow Americans could have negative words to say about this gift, but after all, America is the land of free speech: please forgive us our childishness!
I have not seen any publicity about this gift, though I watch the news daily. I only learned about it from my father who worked nearby while it was being built. He took many photos of the construction, and was truly amazed by the scope of the project. When seen in person it is immense, awe-inspiring and very emotional. To understand that this gift came from the Russians (whom Americans have so frequently dis-liked) really shows that they care about us in a very big way. I think that it deserves to be called a monument, not just a mere sculpture.
Please allow this memorial sculpture to be what it's meant to be: a solemn monument given from one great country to another. It is a generous gift that shows the promise of working together towards a common goal: elimination of terrorism towards the creation of world peace.
Posted by: a mom in Massachusetts | September 12, 2007 1:52 PM
I grew up in Bayonne and have not lived there for about 15 years now. This weekend we went to see my Mom and she said have you seen the memorial. I said no so we went to what used to be the military base and I was amazed and touched to see such an amazing tribute to the victims of 9-11. The sculpture is magnificent and the honor we pay the people who died on that tragic day is huge. The site is peaceful and beautiful. The view of the skyline of New York is amazing and the sculpture plus the missing buildings that I grew up seeing everyday should remind us all of how lucky we are to have the liberties we have. The people who lost their lives need to be remembered forever and this sculpture is a lovely way to do so!
Posted by: Anonymous | October 21, 2007 7:33 PM
I recently visited the monument and was in awe of it's size and stature. It's in the perfect place with the backdrop of NY and our Lady of Liberty. The teardrop does well to remind us of the pain of 9-11 and the World Trade Center Terrorism acts. I was struck by it's beauty and given hope that someone cared enough to fashion such a piece and present it to us as a gift. Like someone else said: We should learn to say thank you! I think it is beautiful and meaningful to all of those who love and defend patriotism. Thank you Russia!
Posted by: Jane Lynn | November 9, 2007 5:41 AM
Thank you for all you've soilders
Posted by: ashley roedema | December 5, 2007 11:29 AM
I went home (to Bayonne)for a visit last week, I live in Texas and my sister took me to the monument, I was very impressed to me it looks like a broken heart with the tear drop. I was very humbled. Thank you to the Russian people. May we never forget.
Posted by: Jennie Serafin | July 8, 2008 12:05 PM
It looks better than any of the other renderings I have seen so far. I like the fact that there is a park surrounding it, too.Anyone with a keyboard can be a hater so let them do their hater thingy.Everybody wants it to be done right(the memorial),and it is long overdue.
Posted by: Billy Joe | August 26, 2008 5:56 AM
It looks like a woman's private parts. Are the Russians trying to express what they think of us?
Posted by: Nick | September 22, 2008 8:27 AM
Born in Bayonne -1925
love this City. The
(Teardrop Memorial)
is beautiful.Those who perished in the
WTC will never be
forgotten.That is why we must erase terrorism from the
face of the Earth.
God Bless America
And Those who perished that terrible day.
Jim H=87th Inf Div.
Posted by: Jim Hennessey | September 26, 2008 6:45 PM