Double Check 1982

John Seward Johnson II’s sculptures capture the events of everyday life; in this case, an office worker looking inside his briefcase. The sculpture was commissioned by Merrill Lynch in 1982 and placed in Liberty Park, now Zuccotti Park. On September 11, 2001, the sculpture came to represent much more than an office worker. The sculpture was damaged in the events and covered in debris, but became an unofficial memorial to the victims, many of whom worked in the financial district. People left items at the sculpture in memorial, and Johnson incorporated these items in a copy of the “Double Check” sculpture entitled “Makeshift Memorial.” “Double Check” remains at Zuccotti Park and “Makeshift Memorial” can be seen at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. However, the statue’s symbolism was forgotten by the Occupy Wall Street protesters, who saw the sculpture as a sign of corporations and capitalism.