1. News from the Press Office: The first major American museum retrospective devoted to the work of Robert Indiana is opening at the Whitney on September 26. Robert Indiana (b. 1928), EAT/DIE, 1962. Oil on canvas, 2 panels, 72 × 60 in. (182.9 × 152.4 cm) each. Private Collection. © 2013 Morgan Art Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

    News from the Press Office: The first major American museum retrospective devoted to the work of Robert Indiana is opening at the Whitney on September 26.

    Robert Indiana (b. 1928), EAT/DIE, 1962. Oil on canvas, 2 panels, 72 × 60 in. (182.9 × 152.4 cm) each. Private Collection. © 2013 Morgan Art Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

  2. Listen to the Hopper Drawing audio guide, which offers an in-depth exploration of the connections between the artist’s drawings and paintings with commentary by curator Carter Foster. Download it before your visit or pick one up in the Museum lobby to follow along in the galleries. Edward Hopper (1882–1967), Female Nude on Model’s Platform, c. 1900–03. Charcoal on paper, 19 1/16 × 12 3/8 in. (48.4 × 31.4 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.1566.118. © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper, licensed by the Whitney Museum of American Art. Digital image © Whitney Museum of American Art

    Listen to the Hopper Drawing audio guide, which offers an in-depth exploration of the connections between the artist’s drawings and paintings with commentary by curator Carter Foster. Download it before your visit or pick one up in the Museum lobby to follow along in the galleries.

    Edward Hopper (1882–1967), Female Nude on Model’s Platform, c. 1900–03. Charcoal on paper, 19 1/16 × 12 3/8 in. (48.4 × 31.4 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.1566.118. © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper, licensed by the Whitney Museum of American Art. Digital image © Whitney Museum of American Art

  3. Joseph Stella—one of the first American artists to glorify the new technologies of urban modernity—was born today in 1877. The Brooklyn Bridge was his most iconic subject. See more of the artist’s work in American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe. Joseph Stella (1877–1946), The Brooklyn Bridge: Variation on an Old Theme, 1939. Oil on canvas, 70 × 42 in. (177.8 × 106.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase 42.15

    Joseph Stella—one of the first American artists to glorify the new technologies of urban modernity—was born today in 1877. The Brooklyn Bridge was his most iconic subject. See more of the artist’s work in American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe.

    Joseph Stella (1877–1946), The Brooklyn Bridge: Variation on an Old Theme, 1939. Oil on canvas, 70 × 42 in. (177.8 × 106.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase 42.15

  4. On June 2, families explored Hopper Drawing through art activities (Hopper-themed Pictionary, anyone?), a collaborative drawing project with artist Jason Polan, and interactive gallery tours. Peruse more photos or learn more about upcoming Whitney family programs.

  5. New on whitney.org: Explore Edward Hopper‬’s drawings alongside the paintings they inspired. See the work in person in Hopper Drawing, on view through October 6.

    New on whitney.org: Explore Edward Hopper‬’s drawings alongside the paintings they inspired. See the work in person in Hopper Drawing, on view through October 6.

  6. Join us in wishing Ellsworth Kelly a very happy 90th birthday! To celebrate, we’re inviting all of our followers to share what they love most about the work of this iconic American artist.  Kelly’s Yellow on Blue (2001), seen here, as well as Blue Panel I (1977) are currently on view in the Museum’s lower gallery.   

    Join us in wishing Ellsworth Kelly a very happy 90th birthday! To celebrate, we’re inviting all of our followers to share what they love most about the work of this iconic American artist. 

    Kelly’s Yellow on Blue (2001), seen here, as well as Blue Panel I (1977) are currently on view in the Museum’s lower gallery. 

     

  7. Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective closes this Sunday. Don’t miss your chance to see this definitive exhibition of the artist’s work, including her monumental painting—The Rose. Jay DeFeo (1929–1989), Reflections of Africa No. 8, 1989. Charcoal and graphite on paper, 11 5/8 × 17 1/8 in. (29.5 × 43.5 cm). The Jay DeFeo Trust, Berkeley. © 2013 The Jay DeFeo Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ben Blackwell

    Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective closes this Sunday. Don’t miss your chance to see this definitive exhibition of the artist’s work, including her monumental painting—The Rose.

    Jay DeFeo (1929–1989), Reflections of Africa No. 8, 1989. Charcoal and graphite on paper, 11 5/8 × 17 1/8 in. (29.5 × 43.5 cm). The Jay DeFeo Trust, Berkeley. © 2013 The Jay DeFeo Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ben Blackwell

  8. Hopper Drawing opens today! The first major museum exhibition to focus on the drawings and creative process of Edward Hopper, this survey pairs many of the artist’s greatest oil paintings, including Early Sunday Morning (1930), New York Movie (1939), Office at Night (1940) and Nighthawks (1942), with their preparatory drawings and related works. Top: Edward Hopper (1882–1967), Study for Nighthawks, 1941 or 1942. Fabricated chalk and charcoal on paper; 11 1/8 × 15 in. (28.3 × 38.1 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase and gift of Josephine N. Hopper by exchange 2011.65; Bottom: Edward Hopper (1882–1967), Nighthawks, 1942. Oil on canvas, 33 1/8 x 60 in. (84.1 x 152.4 cm). The Art Institute of Chicago; Friends of American Art Collection. © The Art Institute of Chicago. 

    Hopper Drawing opens today! The first major museum exhibition to focus on the drawings and creative process of Edward Hopper, this survey pairs many of the artist’s greatest oil paintings, including Early Sunday Morning (1930), New York Movie (1939), Office at Night (1940) and Nighthawks (1942), with their preparatory drawings and related works.

    Top: Edward Hopper (1882–1967), Study for Nighthawks, 1941 or 1942. Fabricated chalk and charcoal on paper; 11 1/8 × 15 in. (28.3 × 38.1 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase and gift of Josephine N. Hopper by exchange 2011.65; Bottom: Edward Hopper (1882–1967), Nighthawks, 1942. Oil on canvas, 33 1/8 x 60 in. (84.1 x 152.4 cm). The Art Institute of Chicago; Friends of American Art Collection. © The Art Institute of Chicago. 

  9. Join us tomorrow evening for Chancing the Ridiculous, Hoping for the Sublime: Re‑examining the work of Jay DeFeo as scholars and artists including Richard Shiff, Bill Berkson, Ron Nagle, and exhibition curator Dana Miller consider the broader art historical context of DeFeo’s work and her lasting influence on contemporary artists. Jay DeFeo (1929–1989), Untitled (Florence), 1952. Tempera with collage on paper, 39 1/4 × 29 1/2 in. (99.7 × 74.9 cm). Mills College Art Museum, Oakland; purchase, Mrs. John C. Sigourney [Mary Singleton]. B.A. 1949, Fund. (C) 2013 The Jay DeFeo Trust/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image courtesy Mills College Art Museum. Photograph by Ben Blackwell

    Join us tomorrow evening for Chancing the Ridiculous, Hoping for the Sublime: Re‑examining the work of Jay DeFeo as scholars and artists including Richard Shiff, Bill Berkson, Ron Nagle, and exhibition curator Dana Miller consider the broader art historical context of DeFeo’s work and her lasting influence on contemporary artists.

    Jay DeFeo (1929–1989), Untitled (Florence), 1952. Tempera with collage on paper, 39 1/4 × 29 1/2 in. (99.7 × 74.9 cm). Mills College Art Museum, Oakland; purchase, Mrs. John C. Sigourney [Mary Singleton]. B.A. 1949, Fund. (C) 2013 The Jay DeFeo Trust/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image courtesy Mills College Art Museum. Photograph by Ben Blackwell

  10. American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe showcases the Whitney’s deep holdings of artwork from the first half of the twentieth century by the eighteen leading artists including Oscar Bluemner, Charles Burchfield, Paul Cadmus, and Alexander Calder. Enjoy these select installation shots and come see the exhibition in person! On view now. 

  11. Tell Him I have eyes only for Heaven / as I look to you / Queen mirror / of the heavenly court.

    Jay DeFeo inscribed the back of her painting The Eyes with this stanza from a contemporaneous poem by Philip Lamantia. The artist used the first line as the full title of the work for several years before it became known simply as The Eyes.

  12. Installation views of Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, February 28–June 2, 2013). Photographs by Sheldan C. Collins.

  13. Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective—”which is as tenderly shaped and as visually stirring as a career survey could possibly be” (The New York Times)—opens today. Jay DeFeo (1929–1989), The Rose, 1958–66. Oil with wood and mica on canvas, 128 7/8 × 92 1/4 × 11 in. (327.3 × 234.3 × 27.9 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of the Estate of Jay DeFeo and purchase with funds from the Contemporary Painting and Sculpture Committee and the Judith Rothschild Foundation  95.170. © 2013 The Jay DeFeo Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ben Blackwell

    Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective—”which is as tenderly shaped and as visually stirring as a career survey could possibly be” (The New York Times)—opens today.

    Jay DeFeo (1929–1989), The Rose, 1958–66. Oil with wood and mica on canvas, 128 7/8 × 92 1/4 × 11 in. (327.3 × 234.3 × 27.9 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of the Estate of Jay DeFeo and purchase with funds from the Contemporary Painting and Sculpture Committee and the Judith Rothschild Foundation  95.170. © 2013 The Jay DeFeo Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Ben Blackwell

  14. Weighing nearly one ton, The Rose by Jay DeFeo is one of the most complicated works in the Whitney’s collection to install. On February 15, the work was installed at the Whitney Museum as part of the exhibition Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective (opening February 28). The work arrived in New York from California, where the Whitney’s exhibition had finished a successful run at SFMOMA. Photographer Paula Court documented the installation that day from start to finish.

  15. In 1972, Alma Thomas became the first African-American woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney. Her Late Night Reflections is on view now in Blues for Smoke. Alma Thomas (1891–1978), Late Night Reflections, 1972. Acrylic on canvas, 28 ¾ x 44 inches. Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA. Purchase, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University Fund for Acquisitions and bequest of Marjorie Pfeffer by exchange. Photograph by Peter Paul Geoffrion

    In 1972, Alma Thomas became the first African-American woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney. Her Late Night Reflections is on view now in Blues for Smoke.

    Alma Thomas (1891–1978), Late Night Reflections, 1972. Acrylic on canvas, 28 ¾ x 44 inches. Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA. Purchase, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University Fund for Acquisitions and bequest of Marjorie Pfeffer by exchange. Photograph by Peter Paul Geoffrion