Bush Paints Moment He Was Told of 9/11
Bush Paints Moment He Was Told of 9/11
The News
Former President George W. Bush has painted the moment he was told about the September 11 attacks, releasing a new series of works on the 25th anniversary of the attacks that defined his presidency.
Bush posted four paintings on Friday. One shows the widely circulated scene in which his chief of staff leaned in and whispered news of the attacks to him during a school visit.
The collection, titled "Remembering 9/11," goes on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas for the rest of the month.
What He Painted
Along with the classroom scene, the four works include the New York City skyline, a police badge and an American flag. Bush wrote that the paintings are "reflections of this solemn anniversary."
Timeline
Bush is visiting a school when his chief of staff whispers to him that the country is under attack. The image of his face in that instant becomes one of the most reproduced photographs of the day.
Bush leaves the White House and takes up painting, which becomes a conspicuous part of his post-presidency, The Washington Post reports.
On the 25th anniversary, Bush shares four new paintings commemorating the attacks and the people connected to them.
The series is exhibited at the Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.
Reactions
The Washington Post noted that Bush was mocked for years over that classroom moment — and has now chosen to paint it himself.
Slate ran a scathing take under the headline "I Will Never Unsee George W. Bush's 9/11 Paintings, and I Regrettably Wish the Same for You," concluding, "Let the man paint, I guess."
Online critics called the paintings disrespectful, arguing Bush should not use the anniversary to revisit a moment many consider a failure of leadership.
What's Next
The exhibition runs at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas through the end of September. It is not clear whether Bush plans any formal remarks alongside the show.
More
The classroom photograph has circulated widely online for years, often paired with invented dialogue. Bush's paintings put his own version of that morning — his face, his moment — back in front of the public on the anniversary.
Poll
Should Bush have painted the moment he learned of 9/11?
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