Ground Zero photo exhibition opens

The World Trade Center was an icon of New York

An exhibition of poignant images of Ground Zero by an eminent US photographer is opening in London to mark the six-month anniversary of 11 September.

The work of Joel Meyerowitz - who was granted unimpeded access to the site of the collapsed World Trade Center - is shown in After September 11: Images from Ground Zero.

The exhibition chronicles the bravery of workers

The first UK venue for the candid street photography and large-format landscape work will be the Museum of London.

The atrocities produced some of the most stark and memorable photography since World War II.

Meyerowitz used his access to produce a systematic documentation of the painful rescue, recovery, demolition and excavation efforts.

The 27 large-scale photographs will be brought to London by the American Embassy to mark the half year anniversary.

Special resonance

The visiting exhibition has been assembled by the Museum of the City of New York and is supported by the US Department of State.

Museum of London organisers hope the exhibition will have special resonance in a city terrorised by the Blitz 60 years ago.

The aftermath of 11 September produced stark images

Meyerowitz said: "The camaraderie among the workers in the zone reminds me of the stories we've heard about the world wars.

"Men and women are thrown together by a common cause, share tragedies and victories, and are forever bound to one another by their effort."

Born in New York in 1938, Meyerowitz began his career in the tradition of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank as a street photographer.

In the mid-1970s he took up landscape photography and began to work exclusively in colour.

Admission is free and the exhibition runs from Wednesday 6 March to Sunday 14 April.