History
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney is a renowned American sculptor whose work encapsulated various aspects of life in the early twentieth century. Back then, innovative American artists faced many difficulties getting their work shown and marketed. Whitney’s goal became to collect and exhibit their works. By the time of her death in 1942, she had become a prominent sponsor of American art, a cause she had held proudly since 1907.
Mrs Whitney opened the Whitney Studio near Brooklyn in 1914 to showcase the work of contemporary American painters whose efforts were ignored by more conservative art institutions. By 1929, she already owned over 500 items in her collection. Following the Metropolitan Museum’s rejection of her request to donate her work, she founded her organization. The goal was to showcase American art and artists. She founded “The Whitney,” a museum devoted to American art, in 1930, and it welcomed its first visitors in 1931.
In 1954, Whitney relocated to a larger location at west 54th street, and in 1963, the building built by Marcel Breuer opened on Madison Avenue. From 1966 until its closure on October 20, 2014, the Museum was located in the landmark structure. On May 1, 2015, the doors to Whitney’s new home on Gansevoort Road were officially opened.
