The Empire State Building
A Celebration of Magnificence, Architecture and History
The 102-story skyscraper celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, and the Keith de Lellis Gallery in NYC pays homage to the history of the iconic Empire State Building. The beloved landmark is the most photographed building in the world (Cornell University, 2011). Selected exhibition photographs range from aerial surveys to street views, distorted reflections to detailed studies, and news photographs to artistic compositions, capturing the seminal building from every perspective. “It’s a challenge to capture such a tall complex structure in a new and fresh way or from an unusual perspective,” said Keith de Lellis. “The variety of images in the exhibition is a testament to the creative and challenging way photographers found to capture the building in a fresh light.”
Construction of the building began on March 17, 1930, and was completed in record time, opening on May 1, 1931. Two years after its unveiling, the building was featured in its first film, King Kong (1933). Since then, the skyscraper has appeared in countless movies and television shows, a symbol of romance, danger, and the city that never sleeps. However, one of the most memorable uses of the building was in Sleepless in Seattle (1993), starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. The rom-com was inspired by the 1957 film An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Both films used the Empire State Building’s observation deck as a rendez-vous point on Valentine’s Day.
The exhibition also showcases the day New York City residents were horrified when an aircraft crashed into the Empire State Building, leaving 14 dead and causing a four-alarm fire. On July 28, 1945, a U.S. Army bomber was en route to Newark, New Jersey, when dense fog conditions disoriented the pilot. A group of five photographs shows a street view of the smoking building, the plane wreckage, and spectator reactions to the crash – the latter captured by infamous street photographer Weegee. “In the context of 9/11 and what happened in that tragic and terrifying terrorist event, the pictures of this wayward little military aircraft that struck the building during WWII harkens back to a time when the concept of a jet aircraft downing such an indomitable seeming monolith would have been unimaginable,” said de Lellis.
The Empire State Building, located in midtown Manhattan, might be seen as the heart of the city for its location, but it’s also seen as a beacon of light. The first light to grace the top of the Empire State Building was a white searchlight, turned on in November 1932 to celebrate Franklin D. Roosevelt winning the presidential election. The peak of the building has been illuminated in practically every color and combination of colors since 1976, paying tribute to various events, causes, and holidays. The exhibition said de Lellis, “Thematically deals with one building in a way that pays tribute to what is the most iconic landmark in New York City, right up there with the Statue of Liberty and Central Park.
This exhibition will be on view at the Keith de Lellis Gallery through August 13, 2021.
