The Whitney Museum of American Art
I've recently become an ambassador (a fancy term for someone who smiles, welcomes, holds elevator doors, and offers directions) for The Whitney, which moved into its new digs in the Meatpacking District this spring, opening to the public on May 1, 2015. It has been hugely popular, with lines backed up to get in. (If you want to visit, I'd highly recommend getting your ticket in advance!) The Renzo Piano-designed building sits at the southern terminal of the High Line Park, and the public patio has become a very popular hangout spot.
The museum was founded by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in 1931. She had been supporting living American artists from early in the twentieth century, providing material support as well as showing the artist that "someone wants what he has made". When the Met turned down her offer to donate her collection ("What will we do with them, my dear lady? We have a cellar full of those things."), she decided to found her own institution. The original location was on 8th Street in Greenwich Village. In 1955, the museum moved to 54th Street, relocating to the Breuer Building in 1966.
The new building is a light-filled open space which gives future artists incredible flexibility to exhibit their art. The floors are wood which allows them to be pulled up if need be. (Plus, they're easier on my back than your usual concrete and marble!) All the walls are movable (and removable!), which allows the space to be configured in a multitude of ways. The eighth floor, the smallest, is lit by indirect natural light. The floors get larger as you go down; art is exhibited on floors 5-8.
The current exhibition is America is Hard to See. I'll let them tell you about it:
"Drawn entirely from the Whitney Museum of American Art’s collection, America Is Hard to See takes the inauguration of the Museum’s new building as an opportunity to reexamine the history of art in the United States from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present. Comprising more than six hundred works, the exhibition elaborates the themes, ideas, beliefs, and passions that have galvanized American artists in their struggle to work within and against established conventions, often directly engaging their political and social contexts. Numerous pieces that have rarely, if ever, been shown appear alongside beloved icons in a conscious effort to unsettle assumptions about the American art canon." - Whitney website
As I've mentioned before, I am a bit of a philistine when it comes to contemporary art - I don't get it. Projectors plugged into tennis shoes, for example, which I saw this spring at the Guggenheim. I'm sure it's "brilliant", but I just can't appreciate it at all. America is Hard to See, however, is a greatest-hits collection of 20th century American art. Edward Hopper, Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O'Keeffe, George Bellows...And that's just for starters.
If you like older art, like I do, plan to spend your time on floors 7 and 8. Floors 5 and 6 are the more contemporary stuff--there's even a piece from 2014 in the exhibition.
The elevators are works of art (the last work Richard Artschwager did before he died), but they can be crowded and slow, so be prepared to wait a bit.
Be sure to explore the outdoor spaces while you're there.
Out on the terraces, you can take a staircase from 8 to 7 to 6. The interior stairs allow you to access all four floors, 5-8. A second staircase takes you from the lobby to 5 and includes a light installation by Felix Gonzales-Torres.
Enjoy your visit. And maybe have a glass of wine in the Studio Cafe--they'll take your name if there's a wait and text you when your table is ready.
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