The Whitney Museum: A Slice of American Art in New York City

The Whitney' Museums posh Upper East Side address at W. 75^th Street may give one the false impression that this is a stuffy museum. Instead this museum devoted to Americana art has emerged as a space for innovative art with a history of showcasing the city's more forward looking artists. In 1914, sculptor Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney established the Whitney Studio in Greenwich Village, as a place to display those pieces of art by living American artists who cannot find a home in the more traditional art spaces. After the Metropolitan Museum of Art rejected her offer of more than 500 works, the Whitney Museum of American Art was founded in 1930. In 1996, the museum moved to its current location, which was designed by Marcel Breuer and Hamilton Smith.

The Permanent Collection, which consists of approximately 18,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and photographs represents more than 2,600 artists. Also, the museum maintains a reference collection that includes 50,000 books and exhibition catalogues, and more than 500 current periodical titles relating to American art. This vast array of research materials helps to place the art into its proper sociopolitical and historical contexts. Hence, one can receive a mini-education into the history of American Art by walking through these museum's floors. This collection is enhanced with provocative special exhibits by artists like Georgia O'Keefe, Christian Marclay, Charles Birchfield, Roni Horn, Jenny Holzer, and Edward Hooper (forthcoming, October 2010).

The Whitney is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 6pm, staying open until 9pm on Fridays with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. General admission is adults $18; Ages 19-25: $12; Ages 62 and over: $12; Full-time students: $12. members and children under 18 are admitted free. Also, admission is pay as you wish on Fridays from 6pm to 9pm. Free daily tours of the exhibit are available with times of these tours available on the Whitney's website. Those desiring a bite to eat can grab lite fare in a temporary cafe with plans to open a new restaurant in Winter 2010.

Despite this recession, the Whitney is expanding by building a downtown space designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano. Located in Manhattan's Meatpacking District at the end of Highline Park (Gansevoort and Washington Streets), this site will consist of approximately 50,000 square feet of indoor galleries and 13,000 square feet of rooftop exhibition space. Even though the building is being constructed, the Whitney Museum is featuring commissions in this space.

http://whitney.org