Frank Stella

Two of the most striking pieces were a colorful diptych called Laestrygonia I and Telepilus Laestrygonia II, each 10 feet tall by 10 feet wide, by Frank Stella. “They were amazing,” recalls Silverstein of first seeing the works in the artist’s Greenwich Village studio. “So I said, ‘Mr. Stella, how much for one of those?’ He informed me they were a diptych, which meant I would have to take both of them, so that’s exactly what we did.”

All of the art in the lobby of Seven World Trade Center was destroyed on 9/11. But Silverstein had learned an important lesson. “It taught me something—art has a huge impact on people’s attitude towards buildings, a very positive attitude.” All told, more than $100 million worth of art by many of the world’s masters was lost that day.