Hi friends, welcome back! The Whitney Museum of American Art has been on my list for quite a few years, and Jon and I finally got around to checking it out. We are not big art connoisseurs, so we really had no idea what to expect of this museum that showcases 20th and 21st century American Art. The museum is open Wednesday through Monday, and free Fridays from 5-10pm and the second Sunday of every month. Tickets cost $30 for adults, but I was able to snag two free tickets from my library.
The Whitney Museum was founded by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (her parents owned The Breakers Mansion in Newport) in 1930. Besides being an heiress, she was also an accomplished sculptor and art collector. She opened the Whitney Studio and Whitney Studio Club to showcase her artwork as well as pieces from other up and coming artists. The studios had success and Gertrude offered the Metropolitan Museum of Art over 500 pieces of American art and the funds to create wing to showcase the works, but they declined so she created her own museum in Greenwich Village.
The museum's collection grew so it eventually relocated to 945 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side (you may recognize this building from my Madison Avenue Walking Tour). It was in this iconic building from 1966-2014 until it outgrew that space too. Currently the Whitney is in a new building in the Meatpacking District space with 50,000 square feet.
The Whitney has over 20,000 pieces in their permanent collection and has displays on six floors. It also has a few outdoor terraces with incredible views of the city and Hudson River. Jon and I visited on a gloomy day, but we still enjoyed the views.
We probably should've listened to an audio guide online, but we just moseyed around. Some things we just couldn't figure out how it made its way into the museum.
Other pieces we wouldn't mind having in our apartment.
I did appreciate how open the galleries were and it didn't feel too crowded considering the weather.
I really appreciated the sweet treats in the café. On the ground floor there is also a French bakery that would be a perfect spot to visit after touring the museum.
At the end of our time here we were glad we went, but equally glad we got free tickets. To be fair we are not fans of modern art and had the same type of reaction after visiting the MoMa. If you like modern art you'd definitely enjoy visiting The Whitney, but if not I'd stick to visiting the Met. What do you think of this museum?
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