Wolf von dem Bussche
Washington Square with Trade Center Towers II
1976

About the Item

Artist: Wolf von dem Bussche American (born Germany) 1934-2014 Title: Washington Square with Trade Center Towers II Year: 1976 Medium: Gelatin Silver Print Image size: 10 x 14.75 inches. Sheet size: 22 x 18 inches Framed size: 24.75 x 20.75 inches Signature: Signed, lower right, reverse Edition size: unknown, small. This one PF25 Condition: Very good This gelatin silver photograph by Wolf von dem Bussche depicts Washington Square Park with the World Trade Center in the background. It is ethereal, much in the pictorial style. This image was included in von dem Bussche’s “N.Y., N.Y.” Portfolio of ten gelatin silver prints depicting the World Trade Center & Washington Square, printed & processed archivally by the photographer and published by Black Stone Press, San Francisco, 1982. However, I believe this particular photograph was printed and mounted earlier, probably 1976, because it is dated 1976 on both the front and reverse and it is mounted on a 22 x 18 inch sheet, rather than a 16 x 20 inch sheet used in the portfolio. In addition, the numbering on the reverse does not conform to the portfolio’s edition of 90. The photograph is in very good condition. The frame is in fair condition with normal wear. Wolf von dem Bussche began his career as a painter. After years of the formal study of art history at Columbia University and the practice of painting, he made the transition to photography without any further formal training. Von dem Bussche had known André Kertész, an old friend of his mother’s family, since his immigration from Germany as a boy in 1951. However, it was in the early 1970’s, with his move to the same apartment building which had been the residence of André Kertész for many years, that the family connection expanded into a close personal and professional friendship. Von dem Bussche is perhaps best known for is compelling images of the World Trade Center Towers in New York City which he photographed extensively rendering them in an array of moods ranging from starkly assertive to ominous and brooding. His interpretations of these now iconic structures range from the romantic pictorialist visions of Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen to the striking formalist presentations of Mondrian or any of the 20th Century precisionist painters. From Berkleyside obituary: Among Mr. von dem Bussche’s most significant pictures are “Foley Square”; an iconic series on the World Trade Center Towers (from his Manhattan apartment, Mr. von dem Bussche had watched them being built); and the portfolio “Homage to Kertesz.” Not so well known is a photograph of Richard Nixon at Martin Luther King’s funeral. In the photo, Nixon seems to be smirking. Mr. von dem Bussche had one-man shows in San Francisco, Paris, New York City and Hanover, Germany. He participated in group exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the George Eastman House in Rochester, NY. His work is in the collections of about a dozen museums. His Point Lobos portfolio was acquired by more than a dozen libraries including the New York Public Library and the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley.

Creator:

Wolf von dem Bussche (1934 - 2014, American)

Creation Year:

1976

Dimensions:

Height: 24.75 in (62.87 cm)Width: 20.75 in (52.71 cm)Depth: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)

Medium:

Silver Gelatin

Movement & Style:

Impressionist

Period:

1970-1979