Whitney Museum of American Art

We’re excited to introduce a new look for the...

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:36:17 -0400

We’re excited to introduce a new look for the Whitney!

Design studio Experimental Jetset developed the new approach, which embraces the spirit of the Museum while serving as a visual ambassador for our new building. The result is a distinctive and inventive graphic system that literally responds to art—a fundamental attribute of the Whitney since its founding in 1930. This dynamic identity, which the designers refer to as the “responsive ‘W’,” also illustrates the Museum’s ever-changing nature.

You can view the new identity on the redesigned whitney.org and via this introductory video. You’ll be seeing much more it at the Museum, in our mailings and advertising, and elsewhere over the next few weeks. We welcome your comments via Facebook and Twitter.

"As with a line, every story needs a beginning."

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:50:14 -0400

““As with a line, every story needs a beginning.””

- Experimental Jetset

Check back tomorrow to hear the full story.

"It would be much easier to present the history of art as a simplistic line—but that’s not the..."

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:49:00 -0400

““It would be much easier to present the history of art as a simplistic line—but that’s not the Whitney.””

- Donna De Salvo, Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Programs

Work is in progress at the Museum! More soon.

"A museum should never be finished, but boundless and ever in motion."

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:37:00 -0400

““A museum should never be finished, but boundless and ever in motion.””

- Goethe

Some big changes are afoot at the Whitney. Stay tuned!

“At first I spent weeks just staring out of the window. I pretty...

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:35:00 -0400

“At first I spent weeks just staring out of the window. I pretty much thought it was the end of my art making.” —Artist T.J. Wilcox on his Union Square penthouse studio, which provides the inspiration for his upcoming project, In the Air, opening September 19.

T.J. Wilcox’s Studio, New York, 2012. Photograph © Marco Anelli; courtesy Danziger Gallery

Join us this Friday evening as artist Nate Lowman presents a...

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:42:00 -0400

Join us this Friday evening as artist Nate Lowman presents a live action painting performance as an homage to Jay DeFeo. Taking inspiration from the time-honored tradition of copying paintings in museums, Lowman will replicate a work currently on view in Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective, while opening up his own studio practice to the public. Admission is free during pay-what-you-wish.

Above, watch Lowman speak with curator Chrissie Iles about his reinterpretation of another artist’s work: Yoko Ono’s Painting to Be Stepped On (1960).

On this day in 1918… Mrs. Whitney formally established the...

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:49:57 -0400

On this day in 1918… Mrs. Whitney formally established the Whitney Studio Club where, over the next decade, more than eighty-six exhibitions were held. Among these were the first solo exhibitions of Edward Hopper (1920) and Reginald Marsh (1924). The membership requirements? Simple: Any artist that who was introduced by a member could join.

Charles Sheeler, Office Interior, Whitney Studio Club, 10 West 8 Street, c. 1928. Gelatin silver print, 7 1/2 × 9 3/8 in. (19.1 × 23.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 93.24.1

Featuring works by seminal artists of the 1980s and early...

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:01:00 -0400

Installation view of I, YOU, WE (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, April 25–September 1, 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins.

Installation view of I, YOU, WE (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, April 25–September 1, 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins.

Installation view of I, YOU, WE (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, April 25–September 1, 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins.

Installation view of I, YOU, WE (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, April 25–September 1, 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins.

Installation view of I, YOU, WE (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, April 25–September 1, 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins.

Featuring works by seminal artists of the 1980s and early ’90s including Nan Goldin, Keith Haring, Richard Prince, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres, I, YOU, WE demonstrates how the personal, social, and collective concerns of that time are still relevant today.

Happy Mother’s Day! Betye Saar (b.1926), Mother and...

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:37:00 -0400

Happy Mother’s Day!

Betye Saar (b.1926), Mother and Children in Blue, 1998. Watercolor and mixed media collage on paper, 8 5/8 × 6 1/2 in. (21.9 × 16.5 cm) irregular. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Drawing Committee 2000.46. Permission courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, N.Y.

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s PerspectiveBy...

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:41:00 -0400

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s Perspective
By Graham Miles, Whitney art handler
Documented by Paula Court, photographer

XII.“Bolts secured, the piece is finally in position. You can just make out the three steel feet under the bottom edge of the painting that support the work.”

Have a question for Graham about the installation or his job as an art handler in general? Follow us on Twitter @whitneymuseum and ask us your question via #AskTheWhit by Monday, May 13. Responses will be posted on May 15.

Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective is on view now through June 2.

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s PerspectiveBy...

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:34:54 -0400

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s Perspective
By Graham Miles, Whitney art handler
Documented by Paula Court, photographer

XI. “This is the view from inside the wall behind The Rose. Looking out through the hole you can make out back of The Rose and one of the three feet that support the weight of the painting.”

Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective is on view now through June 2.

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s PerspectiveBy...

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:28:32 -0400

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s Perspective
By Graham Miles, Whitney art handler
Documented by Paula Court, photographer

X. “Minor adjustments are made so that the bolts can be slid into position. It’s pretty dark back there, so a flashlight is helpful.”

Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective is on view now through June 2.

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s PerspectiveBy...

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:24:00 -0400

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s Perspective
By Graham Miles, Whitney art handler
Documented by Paula Court, photographer

IX. “The pallet jack is removed and The Rose now sits directly on the floor. Two bolts on either side of the back of painting pin the painting to the steel cleat on the wall.”

Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective is on view now through June 2.

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s PerspectiveBy...

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:20:00 -0400

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s Perspective
By Graham Miles, Whitney art handler
Documented by Paula Court, photographer

VIII. “Now that The Rose is close to vertical, you can see the legs of the gantry are pushed back beyond the exterior sheetrock and into the recesses of the wall on either side of the painting. Without these holes the gantry would end up two feet away from the wall, complicating the transition from the gantry to the steel cleat.”

Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective is on view now through June 2.

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s PerspectiveBy...

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:02:03 -0400

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s Perspective
By Graham Miles, Whitney art handler
Documented by Paula Court, photographer

VII. “A pallet jack is placed under the bottom of the piece, as it is slowly raised into position with the chain hoists. As the top of piece is raised into its vertical orientation, the bottom of the painting is driven back towards the wall.”

Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective is on view now through June 2.

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s PerspectiveBy...

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:30:50 -0400

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s Perspective
By Graham Miles, Whitney art handler
Documented by Paula Court, photographer

VI. “As the height of The Rose is close to the maximum height of the gantry, several sheets of plywood are placed under the gantry to ensure that there is enough clearance from the top of the painting to the gantry’s I-beam. Two holes have also been cut into the walls that mirror the footprint of the gantry’s A-frame legs. This allows the gantry to be pushed back inside the wall and means that The Rose can sit flush against the wall, while still on the gantry.”

Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective is on view now through June 2.

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s PerspectiveBy...

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:53:53 -0400

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s Perspective
By Graham Miles, Whitney art handler
Documented by Paula Court, photographer

V. “The hardest part is now over and The Rose is safely down. It is now placed on four dollies so it can be pushed into position. Under the bottom edge of the painting, the immense steel sub-frame and the supporting feet that the painting rest on are clearly visible.”

Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective is on view now through June 2.

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s PerspectiveBy...

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:54:45 -0400

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s Perspective
By Graham Miles, Whitney art handler
Documented by Paula Court, photographer

IV. “While lowering The Rose, particular care needs to be taken to insure both the metal feet of the painting’s sub-frame remain on the floor at all times. The chain hoists need to be lowered at different rates to accomplish this. Communication, concentration, and synchronization are key. Scott Atthowe, who is overseeing the installation, scrutinizes the positioning of the gantry, chain hoists, and painting and calls out directions to orchestrate this complex maneuver.”

Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective is on view now through June 2.

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s PerspectiveBy...

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:20:41 -0400

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s Perspective
By Graham Miles, Whitney art handler
Documented by Paula Court, photographer

III. “Once removed from the A-frame cart, The Rose is lowered onto its edge and then onto its back. Raising and lowering The Rose in this position is by far the most challenging aspect of the entire installation. A large portion of the weight is concentrated in the lower third of the painting, which makes it extremely unbalanced and unwieldy in this orientation.”

Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective is on view now through June 2.

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s PerspectiveBy...

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:05:00 -0400

The Installation of The Rose from an Art Handler’s Perspective
By Graham Miles, Whitney art handler
Documented by Paula Court, photographer

II. “Shackles are attached to the top of the steel sub-frame, so the painting can be lifted from the metal A-frame cart and set down on the floor. The restrictive size of the Whitney’s elevators necessitates the use of this cart. If the painting were to ride flat on its back—instead of on its edge—it would not fit into either the freight or large passenger car.”

Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective is on view now through June 2.