Mark Cuban buys World Trade Center drawings, donates them to Smithsonian Design Museum

Before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Mark Cuban bought and donated a number of World Trade Center drawings by the late architectural draftsman Carlos Diniz.

The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York is showing the donated renderings.

Diniz, who died almost two months before the attacks at the age of 72, was known for his large-format, storytelling drawings. His hand-drawn work spanned many landmarks and historical structures and developments from the 1960s to 1980s.

His drawings of the World Trade Center date back to 1963, before its inauguration in 1973. Diniz was the main artist in his studio, making drawings to help architects and developers sell their projects.

Cuban, whose understanding of art has lately been mostly on the digital scale, said in an email that he was unfamiliar with Diniz’s work but was quickly sold.

“The architect’s family contacted me and asked if I would buy and donate them,” said Cuban. “With the towers gone – and these drawings are so amazing – it was right for everyone to see them at the Smithsonian.

“So I said yes.”

Mark Cuban bought and donated a number of World Trade Center drawings by the late architectural draftsman Carlos Diniz.

(David Woo / Employee Photographer)

Carol Espinoza, whose husband was Ian Diniz’s stepson and protégé, said that because of the special legacy of Diniz’s work, “we wanted to keep the entire collection together and hoped it would be given to someone who would eventually donate it to a prestigious institute. “

The family enlisted the help of British art dealer Fraser Scott in finding a buyer. Espinoza said the family appreciate Cuba’s promise to donate the works

“It was a huge relief for us as we really wanted this drawing in public,” she said. “Mr. Buying Cuban has helped our entire family through this very difficult time. His incredible generosity in donating the drawings is a testament to the man’s heart and desire to give back and is so admired by all of us.”

Diniz’s drawings contrasted with architectural drawings that articulated design ideas. His illustrations were commissioned to communicate and sell the project to clients and the general public.

“His drawings not only convey the design of the towers, but also the social and political forces that shape the built environment,” wrote the London-based artist Sam van Strien in Drawing Matter, a collection of writings on architecture and drawing.

The News architecture critic, Mark Lamster, wrote in a memorial that the towers “almost defied criticism. They had a threatening magnetic energy that was so pervasive that it reached the sublime. “

In 2001, the von Diniz family inherited its extensive archive of architectural drawings, graphics, and art from the 1950s through the early 90s, Espinoza said. In 2015, the Diniz family donated a large part of the archives to the Santa Barbara Art Design & Architecture Museum at the University of California. Some projects have been withheld by the family for personal collection, she said. These projects included the collection of drawings and ephemera for the World Trade Center project.

“Diniz’s work is well known in the architectural community, but practically unknown outside of it. We have worked with several people over many years to build a media catalog and get his work on shows around the world, ”said Espinoza.

In 1962, Diniz was hired by architect Minoru Yamasaki as part of the team that designed the twin towers of the World Trade Center. His drawings in the WTC portfolio show the viewer the experience of monolithic structures in the context of Lower Manhattan and within the buildings themselves. The drawings were intended to illustrate Manhattan as the center of international business.

1/3The late architectural draftsman Carlos Diniz called this drawing the Plaza View of the World Trade Center Twin Towers.

2/3The late architectural draftsman Carlos Diniz called this drawing the Hudson Harbor view of the World Trade Center Twin Towers.

3/3The late architectural draftsman Carlos Diniz called this drawing the Superman View of the World Trade Center Twin Towers.

The towers were destroyed in 2001 when terrorist hijackers crashed commercial airliners into every building, resulting in mass casualties and the buildings collapsing.

Cuban said the drawings convey what they meant to New York and the country.

“I didn’t know her,” he said of the drawings. “But when you look at them, you get goose bumps – and at the same time a hole in your heart.”

Espinoza said the family looks forward to the day later this year when the Cooper Hewitt Museum will open their father-in-law’s work to all.

“The World Trade Center has become a powerful symbol in American history, so we’re very happy that these drawings now belong to the American people,” she said.

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