Recommendations

American contemporary art bequeathed by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, among others.

Guide: Artist (Hope)
Location: UES

Strengths

• Let’s start with a little history… Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was about as close as you can get to American royalty. Her great grandfather was Cornelius Vanderbilt (nicknamed “the Commodore” due to his activity in the War of 1812; railroad and steamship tycoon, creator of Grand Central Station). She married Harry Payne Whitney, heir to a Standard Oil fortune (he played polo and had 19 horses in the Kentucky Derby). She went to the Brearley School, studied art in Paris with Auguste Rodin, and summered at The Breakers – the family mansion in Newport. She became a sculptor, and began the Whitney Museum in 1931 after the Metropolitan Museum of Art turned down her offer to donate her art collection. The museum was originally on 8th street, and moved to its current space, designed by Mercel Breuer, in 1966.
• The Whitney started with Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s personal collection, and grew on the (relative) cheap by purchasing works of living American artists before they hit the big time.
• The museum now has over 14,000 works in its permanent collection, including pieces by Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Edward Hopper, Willem de Kooning, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jasper Johns and Alexander Calder.

Shortcomings

• Admission fee is $15 for adults! Only in NYC.

Insider tips

• Admission is voluntary on Fridays from 6-9 PM.
• Take the self-guided audio tour – its free.
• If possibly go on a weekday afternoon to avoid the crowds.

Anecdotes

• If you don’t have A.D.D. already, NYC will give it to you. We’re surrounded by some of the most incredible culture on the planet, and yet who has the time to see it all? Next time you are on the Upper East Side, take a break from shopping and browse the Whitney. If you go at off hours you can get in and out fairly quickly, and see some of the most impressive works of art created in the 20th century.