Home ANTHILL TV Autistic savant draws Manhattan panorama from memory after one helicopter ride

Autistic savant draws Manhattan panorama from memory after one helicopter ride

4

Stephen Wiltshire has an astonishing talent. The severely autistic London-based artist can draw vast panorama sketches of major cities entirely from memory, after only the briefest of glimpses. And he gets it right, down to the last window.

In his celebrated 20-year career, Wiltshire has drawn panoramas of London, Tokyo, Rome, Madrid, Hong Kong, Dubai and Jerusalem, among others. He recently opened his own gallery in London.

Wiltshire was at it again this week when US television network CBS sponsored him to draw an 18 foot panorama of New York from memory after taking a 20-minute helicopter ride over the city. The whole process was documented in television segments and on a dedicated website that includes articles, photos, video footage and even a live ustream video feed.

This CBS video below provides a good overview of the project and Wiltshire’s talent. The clip below that shows him drawing Manhattan in timelapse.