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# George W. Bush paints 16 new works for the 25th anniversary of 9/11
- URL: https://www.urgentmatter.press/george-w-bush-paints-16-new-works-for-the-25th-anniversary-of-9-11/
- Published: 2026-09-09T03:42:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-09T03:42:58.000Z
- Description: The former president will make his only public remarks on the anniversary at a Sept. 9 event with Condoleezza Rice.
- Author: Adam Schrader
- Tags: Shows and Exhibitions, #public-access

George W. Bush has painted 16 new works marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, a moment that defined his presidency.

The exhibition, “Remembering 9/11,” hangs in Freedom Hall at the [George W. Bush Presidential Museum](https://www.bushcenter.org/events-and-exhibits/remembering-9-11-by-president-george-w-bush?ref=urgentmatter.press) from Sept. 1 to 30\. The Bush Center said it is the sixth exhibition of the former president’s artwork.

The Bush Center said that the former president painted the new work “to reflect on the courage, sacrifice, and resilience that emerged from one of the most defining moments in American history.”

One canvas shows a firefighter’s helmet and a spray of flowers on a rack at Engine Co. 55’s firehouse in New York City on 9/11\. It is painted in acrylic and oil and measures 16 by 20 inches. Two helmets in the image are lettered “LT. BATTISTA” and “LT. FREUND.”

Another work depicts Bush with a bullhorn atop a wrecked fire truck, standing beside retired New York City firefighter Bob Beckwith. The Bush Center teased the painting in [a post on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc1%5Fva9nPN2/?ref=urgentmatter.press), pairing it with the original news photograph and an image of the actual bullhorn on display.

“Three days after 9/11, President George W. Bush visited Ground Zero in New York City following the horror of the attacks,” the Bush Center wrote in the caption.

“‘I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon,’ said President Bush as he stood atop a crumpled fire truck with retired New York City fireman Bob Beckwith,” the caption read.

Bush delivered those lines through the bullhorn on Sept. 14, 2001, with Beckwith at his side, in a moment that became one of the defining images of the attacks’ aftermath, multiple outlets reported at the time.

Beckwith, who had retired from the fire department before the attacks and returned to help search the rubble, died Feb. 4, 2024, at 91, [CNN reported](https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/us/bob-beckwith-obit-ground-zero-fdny?ref=urgentmatter.press).

“I was proud to have Bob by my side at Ground Zero days later and privileged to stay in touch with this patriot over the years,” Bush said in a statement after Beckwith’s death.

The exhibition coincides with a Bush Center program in Dallas on Wednesday, titled “A Legacy of Service: America at the 25th Anniversary of 9/11.”

The evening opens with a conversation between Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and former Deputy National Security Advisor J.D. Crouch about the military’s role in the Global War on Terror.

Bush then speaks with Condoleezza Rice, the 66th secretary of state, who served in his administration. The Bush Center said the two will discuss “how the day changed the country, how it continues to shape American life, and how the call to serve remains as urgent as ever.”

The program also features post-9/11 veterans Jared Lyon and Melissa Stockwell. The event will be livestreamed on [YouTube](https://youtube.com/live/HkiHo9IjuKM?feature=share&ref=urgentmatter.press).

The Sept. 9 remarks will be Bush’s only public reflection on the anniversary. He is not accepting interview requests next month, the Bush Center said.

President Bush and Laura Bush will attend the 25th anniversary commemoration ceremony at Ground Zero on the morning of Sept. 11, the Bush Center said. During the New York visit, the couple will also stop at a fire station, spend time with the families of first responders killed on 9/11, and attend a memorial service at the U.S. Secret Service’s New York Field Office.

[Muscarelle director’s 9/11 story shapes anniversary showDavid Brashear’s father was in the Pentagon on 9/11\. His Muscarelle exhibition traces 25 years of rebuilding at the World Trade Center.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3c/26/3c26cf7a-2384-4a8d-82e1-f44702177698/content/images/icon/urgent-matter-icon-56d951f1-a719-40aa-a028-75f759042ad3.jpg)Urgent MatterAdam Schrader![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3c/26/3c26cf7a-2384-4a8d-82e1-f44702177698/content/images/thumbnail/Adriano-Marinazzo-Forever-2026--1--9fca3eaf-7ec5-49ba-be20-f255c51ef109.JPG)](https://www.urgentmatter.press/muscarelle-directors-family-ties-to-september-11-shape-anniversary-architecture-show/)

Bush took up painting after leaving office and has built much of his work around service members. His 2017 collection “Portraits of Courage” comprised 66 portraits and a four-panel mural of post-9/11 veterans he came to know personally, and it has toured venues including the Kennedy Center, the Truman Library and EPCOT.

That collection is on view at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, through Dec. 31, 2026.

First families are frequently tied to the arts. Urgent Matter previously reported that Hunter Biden, the artist and son of former President Joe Biden, [reassembled a tabloid photograph of himself](https://www.urgentmatter.press/artist-hunter-biden-blasts-new-york-post-daily-mail/) taken during his addiction into a new self-portrait this summer, and that artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby [painted the first official dual portrait](https://www.urgentmatter.press/njideka-akunyili-crosby-paints-the-obamas-first-official-dual-portrait/) of Barack and Michelle Obama for the Obama Presidential Center.

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