For the Art of Our Time.
The Whitney is the only museum dedicated to American art and artists. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney founded the Museum in 1930, taking a bold stand for American artists who were often overlooked. Today, our collection features works by over 4,000 artists, including luminaries like Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alexander Calder, and Faith Ringgold. Our signature exhibition, the Whitney Biennial, is the longest-running survey of American art, where artists test boundaries, spark conversation, and shape culture.
Every visit to the Whitney is an invitation to engage with the pressing issues and leading artists of our time through an array of exhibitions and programming for all ages. Robust free and discounted offerings, such as Free Friday Nights and Free Second Sundays, ensure that the Whitney is as accessible as it is inspirational. Located in the heart of New York City’s vibrant Meatpacking District, our Renzo Piano-designed building features state-of-the-art galleries and sweeping skyline views of the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building from our terraces. After viewing the galleries, visitors can grab a drink and a bite at Studio Bar and Frenchette Bakery or explore neighborhood attractions like the High Line and Little Island. The Whitney is your home for discovering the richness and complexity of American art.
History
Founded in 1930 by sculptor Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, the Whitney Museum of American Art emerged from her dedication to supporting living American artists who struggled to exhibit and sell their work in the early 20th century. After the Metropolitan Museum of Art declined her gift of more than 500 works, Whitney established her own institution, opening the museum in 1931 in Greenwich Village with a focus on American art. The museum later moved to larger spaces, including the Marcel Breuer-designed building on Madison Avenue in 1966, before relocating to its current home at 99 Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District, which opened on May 1, 2015. Known for innovation, the Whitney was the first museum to champion living American artists and introduced groundbreaking exhibitions, such as the first major U.S. video art show by Nam June Paik in 1982. It has consistently supported emerging artists by acquiring works soon after their creation and providing them with their first comprehensive surveys, spotlighting figures like Jasper Johns, Cindy Sherman, and Glenn Ligon. The Whitney also expanded access through experimental branch museums across New York City until 2008, reinforcing its role as a leader in shaping the narrative of modern and contemporary American art.
Mission
The Whitney Museum of American Art seeks to be the defining museum of twentieth- and twenty-first-century American art. The Museum collects, exhibits, preserves, researches, and interprets art of the United States in the broadest global, historical, and interdisciplinary contexts. As the preeminent advocate for American art, we foster the work of living artists at critical moments in their careers. The Whitney educates a diverse public through direct interaction with artists, often before their work has achieved general acceptance.
Values
The Whitney Museum of American Art was founded by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in 1930. An artist and philanthropist, she believed that artists were essential to defining, challenging, and expanding culture. The Museum became a site where artists and audiences engaged openly with untested ideas. Today, this history informs who we are and how we serve our public. The Whitney believes:
- in the power of artists and art to shape lives and communities;
- that we must be as experimental, responsive, and risk-taking as the artists with whom we collaborate;
- in creating experiences that engage and raise questions for our audiences, and, in turn, learning from our audiences;
- that our work embraces complexity and encourages an inclusive idea of America;
- in the importance of history: that the past informs our present and that contemporary art can help us better understand our past and realize our future;
- that we must lead with expertise, debate, self-reflection, and integrity;
- that the Whitney thrives because of relationships—among artists, audiences, staff, and board alike—forged from dialogue, premised on respect, and committed to a shared purpose.
