French painter Noel Pasquier was in New York City in September 2001 preparing an exhibition at the French consulate that was due to open to the public on September 13.

On the morning of 9/11, Pasquier decided to go for a walk to enjoy a bright blue sky, heading towards the Twin Towers neighbourhood.  

When the first plane hit the tower of the World Trade Center, he felt like an earthquake was happening, then he saw the second plane hitting the second tower.

"In my head, in my heart, in my belief, I felt American and united with the people" Pasquier told The Associated Press.

Pasquier was so traumatized that he stopped painting for several months after the attacks.

Twenty years after, he still can't capture in words the horror he witnessed that day so he decided to express his feelings and pay tribute to the victims through his art.

"I remember two things from September 11th: the beauty of this extraordinary blue sky and then the crash, the ignominious act, the madness, the folly of people and this will to kill," Pasquier said.

The 80-year-old artist always starts by painting a blue sky, the same one he saw on 9/11, and is using tiny fragments he picked up in the streets around the Towers right after the attacks in his paintings.

"We should all rise up and remember especially the color of this exemplary and promising blue sky" he added.

Pasquier's work on the Twin Towers is currently on display at the Grand Palais Éphémère in the French capital as part of the 2021 Paris Art Forum.