Thomas Ruff Reviewed in Artnet

Walking into Thomas Ruff’s new exhibition, “jpegs ny,” at David Zwirner last night was like getting punched in the gut. There, in that pristine temple of contemporary art, hung a monumental diptych—each panel 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide—showing the Manhattan skyline as billowing smoke spreads from the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. I froze.

Outside, two ghostly beams of light pierced the dark sky, as they have night after night this week, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda—the deadliest strike against the United States in its history, with 2,977 lives lost on that day alone.

Encountering Ruff’s 12 haunting photographs on the eve of 9/11 left me gasping for air. Some are wide shots; others are pixelated close-ups of smoke and destruction. All are painterly, their grisaille palettes infused with a plethora of purples.

Read more at Artnet.