Whitney Museum of American Art

9/29/2009

So the building is pretty nice to look at but not so nice to climb, I thought the stairs were strange.  The bf brought me here for the Georgia O'Keeffe stuff and I have to be honest, I was kind of disappointed.  I was really expecting much more vaginas-in-disguise but instead got abstract blobs, woof, I don't know, I guess I'm just an uncultured swine for not appreciating her other work.  The Dan Graham stuff was amazing, check that out.

7/12/2007

The Whitney is a fantastic space, it is set up in a very clean cut, easy to navigate way.
I brought my little sister here to see the work inspired by Picasso and she really enjoyed the Whitney's take on it over the Met's (she was also 7).  
If your still not convinced, I've run into Chuck Close at the Kiki Smith Exhibit and Woody Allen at the Biennial, so if you're into celebrities...

However, the 2008 Biennial was a JOKE. The most pathetic excuse for a show that I have EVER seen. Huge disappointment.  The Biennial has gone down hill the past few years, but never like this. Terrible.

6/13/2008

This is a cute little museum if you are into modern art.  What I like is that it's not that big so you don't overwhemled, like what happens sometimes in a bigger musem.

1/16/2011

maybe because i went on a sunday in the afternoon but this place wasnt worth it.  18/ a person there was only 3 floor available it was just a waste.I'd rather pay more and go to the MOMA or the met.

7/5/2011 Updated review

I visited the Whitney on June 8, 2011 and was quite disappointed to find only ONE HOPPER PAINTING on exhibit. I verified this fact with museum staff. The Whitney, according to its own website, has over 3000 various works by Hopper and is well known for its Hopper collection. On the day of our visit, there was only one being shown. Overall, I found the quality of the works on display rather uninteresting. We walked through the museum in under an hour. When I asked for a partial refund based on the lack of Hopper's work being shown, I was told that it was the policy of the museum not to give refunds based on a visitor's dissatisfaction with the artwork being shown. There are many other quality museums in New York City, I recommend that you do some research and go somewhere else. Skip the Whitney until they start showing some of Hopper's works. As it is now it's not worth your time or your money.

9/25/2007

This was my favorite museum in New York.  Some of the highlights were an exhibit of profiling, a part of the "Summer of Love" exhibit in which I cannot recall the artist(will go dig out the name later), and the Rudolf Stingel exhibit.  I could have done without the hippie jungle gym that smelled like feet...  I would highly recommend the Whit and MoMA if you only have limited time in NY for museums.

Directions:

Located at Madison & 75th Street in the Upper East Side

6/10/2006

I like the whitney biennialto really get an idea of whats going on in contemprary art. even i f i dont like everything.   My taste is more towards 20th cen modernism and post impressionism.

4/1/2011

One of the less impressive of NY's major art museums, but still worth checking out at least once.  Free on Friday nights, but it can get insanely crowded.

7/28/2007

Free admission for SVA/CUNY students! You can bypass the regular line. My sticker is expired but they didn't really check.

Went to the Whitney for the first time (yes, sad) for the Summer of Love exhibit. It starts on the third floor and ends on the second. You'll come across light and sound installations, as well as posters, art, photographs, and experimental film. I loved seeing Jimi Hendrix's Flower Demon and work by Kusama. Her and her damned polka-dots.
I didn't get to experience the psychedelic era, but I saw many older folk smiling, reminiscing, discussing, or simply rocking out to the tunes on the (free) audio guide.
Two of the installations require that you take your shoes off. I really liked them but I couldn't handle the smell. It was toxic. They should def. Febreze.
Then I went on to the fourth floor and poked some holes on Rudolf Stingel's piece. "Profiling" on the first floor records your movements and analyzes you. It stated that I am "disappointed" and "lonely". My bf got "exasperated" and "reconsidering". So what does that say about our relationship? Haha.

11/29/2008

Don't use the elevator the whole time because the stairwell has surprises or at least a view out the window for the mild claustrophobic.  I was surprised how dated and institutional the interior was compared to gallery white boxes.  The guards were cool.  The museum is large so I didn't have time to see all the floors.  This is my favorite period of art but I've seen better collections on view.

8/16/2007

several disclaimers:

1. i don't know much about art
2. i don't really like american art
3. not a huge fan of modern art

that said, i didn't entirely enjoy this museum. the layout is confusing, the building is not very intuitive, and the staff is not very friendly.

i would only go back if i could go with somebody to explain to me the art. other than that, i am content to pass by the calder mobile and virgin mother on park every day as my modern art fix.

Their giftshop, while very small, has some cool stuff. Worth a stroll through.

10/25/2009

In an effort to avoid becoming one of those New Yorkers who has never experienced any of the exciting opportunites that our great city has to offer, I stopped putting it off and headed over to the Whitney on a rainy Friday evening. I think that rainy Friday's are ideal for true museum enjoyment. I think that pay-what-you-wish nights are also ideal. Apparently, there are many other like minded souls who share my love of cheap yet highly sophisticated forms of amusement. Needless to say it was rather crowded. This may be a typical Friday night for the Whitney, but I must say that the special exhibit of Georgia O'Keefe's abstract paintings was outstanding and certainly justified the large crowd. Rather than focusing only on the typical O'Keefe flower paintings, the exhibit focused on her work as an abstract artist. I thought that the museum's approach to her work was creative and original. You saw a different side to the artist than usual. I learned several new things and thoroughly enjoyed all of the paintings that were chosen. They did an excellent job of chronologically showing her development as an artist as well as her personal history and I discovered a lot of new information about one of my favorite artists. The audio guide (yes, I was one of those nerdy people with headphones) was interesting and helpful, but the tour guide was fantastic. He was extremely knowledgeable about the artist and her work and a great story teller. He easily respond to tough questions from the audience and was overall very engaging. Altogether a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The permanent collection is rather small, so I recommend keeping an eye out for a special exhibition that interests you. I know I will be checking in often.

5/24/2007

summer of love exhibit was awesome.. anyone that grew up during or loves the music of the woodstock era (hendrix, joplin, beatles, stones) should definitely check out this trippy ode to all things "back in the good old days"

the whitney is great at putting together a well curated show, and this one definitely has mass appeal.  the opening night had a band, outdoor drinks, and patrons in great outfits.

exhibition includes paintings, photographs and sculptures by Isaac Abrams, Richard Avedon, Lynda Benglis, Richard Hamilton, Elliott Landy, Jimi Hendrix (his only known watercolor), Robert Indiana, Yayoi Kusama, Richard Lindner, and John McCracken, among others, as well as a rich selection of important posters, album covers and underground magazines. Video installations showing light shows-- one of them will truly make you crazy-- an aluminum covered room with aluminum panels hanging down, lots of wind, and music. we danced around to jefferson airplane until we got dizzy.

risk: trippy video installations + open bar = trippy-ness
reward: psychedelic loveliness

4/27/2007

Another great Manhattan art establishment.  The permanent collection houses some of the best post-war art ever created.  I hold a special place in my heart for the master works of Willem de Kooning.  I find I get the most claustrophobic in here however.  Try to sneak in on a slow day and really soak it up.  The Whitney is a huge place for tourists and class trips so be forewarned, it gets intense.

1/29/2007

Everytime I am in  NYC- this is one of the trilogy of museums I try to get to visit.  My first experience here was on a cold, rainy and dreary day- lost and walking about- I finally stumble into the gargantuan building- unmistakenably the Whitney- for no other forms like it existed- for blocks around- make that in the whole world- nothing like the Breuer chair he's known for :-)
You know how you meet someone for the very first time and you bond and become friends for life?  Well this is where I met Agnes Martin- there is a calming presence in her work- perhaps because it draws you to meditate and simplify- I was speechless...
I dont know how one could see other works after that- so I returned another time- to view their venerable Modern Art Collection- comprised of both European and American Masters- I could come back here over and over again- and  find something new and interesting- borrowing from R.M. Rilke's idea- under each petal- what secrets it holds...in dreams.

12/23/2006

If you have any interest whatsoever in Edward Hopper, get thee to the Whitney before this exhibit ends on Dec 31st (though I understand they have Hopper exhibits frequently, as his widow bequeathed his entire collection to the Whitney, so you'll most likely have another chance).  They have a ton of his early work, which, I was surprised to see, is stylistically completely different from his well-known later works.  Plus, not only do they have Nighthawks up, they have his character studies for it and other related work.  The Picasso and American Art exhibit is also worth a gander, featuring like-minded work by Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, etc.

3/24/2007

A very unique museum but what I liked the most is as you are walking down the stairs from the second floor to the first floor in the corner of the wall you'll notice a small model of a city with buildings embedded in red clay.  Then if you read the label, it says the artist created a second part across the street in the corner of the chimney.  It is so funny.  I think they need to get a pair of binoculars so ppl can see it better though.  I think the founder of this museum, Gertude Vanderbilt Whitney was amazing and took a lot of courage for starting up this museum since the Met had turned down her collection in the 30's.

7/26/2010

I'm not a big fan of modern art, and found a lot of the pieces in the Whitney too avant-guarde for my taste. There were some paintings that I enjoyed, but when it came to the films/videos throughout the museum, I personally did not consider them to be "art". Be warned that the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit mentioned in previous reviews is no longer up, during my visit I did not see a single O'Keeffe painting. The exhibits weren't really to my taste - unless there's a specific exhibition you want to see, I wouldn't recommend it. There are too many fantastic museums in NY for me to consider spending much time at the Whitney.

2/3/2007

I really like the whitney (and contemporary art), BUT: everytime I go several floors are closed (I guess this is my problem with timing but....); the guards are surly and proprietary (one screamed at me for going over the silver line...and followed me until I went away); if you arrive before the doors open, they will not let you wait inside, even if it is 0 degrees outside and will kick you out if you try (or you can go downstairs and drop a penny on a coffee and wait there....). Not a friendly place, which is a pity, as modern art, and the setting in which it is shown should not be about pretense or haughtiness, as it can sour people on the experience of viewing.

4/12/2010

the Biennial was AMAZING.  Being able to see the most current contemporary art in once place is so rare.  I was so inspired after I left.

8/31/2007

A museum full of poor, modern art from a forgettable slice of American culture.  Way abstract stuff - kaleidoscopes, splashes of paint, 60s/70s Woodstock worship, Andy Warhol posters, and the like.  Not a museum to spend your time/$$ on.  If you don't believe me, at least go when it's "contribute what you wish" night - 6-9pm on Fridays.

3/2/2006

The Biennial opens to the public today and I can vouch for the fact that it is a truly spectacular show not to be missed- just don't try to see it all at once, it is so big and overwhelming.  The curators struck a good balance between art forms and the theme "Day for Night" really ties everything together.

5/30/2006

I'm just not a huge fan of modern art...and the price to pay to get in here is just absurd, although MOMA does top the ridiculous entrance fee meter! The only thing I really liked here was an exhibit they recently had on Russian art. Somehow, Jackson Pollock simply fails to impress me...my niece makes similar paintings with a toothbrush and some marbles...why isn't she making millions???

9/1/2006

I went to The Whitney awhile ago and it was pretty decent.  I could spend all day in the bookstore, even when it's in a slightly disheveled state.  It's fairly easy to see everything in the museum over a few days for free.  If you go for the last 1/2 hour entry to the museum is free.  The day I went all I wanted to see was the Romare Bearden exhibition, a half of viewing was just enough time.  I don't know if they have changed their free last 1/2 hour policy or not, I would call or check their website.

9/28/2005

For those with a sense of humor and those lacking one, make sure to check out Alexander Calder's circus performance.  A true delight.  And for those who like to get your hands in the dirt, make sure to see Robert Smithson's exhibit that toils with the notion of earth and landscape with a clever artistic twist... on display until October 23, 2005 and definately worth your precious time.

10/31/2005

This is my favorite for seeing the best in American art.  The Bi-ennial is known internationally, and should not be missed!  They have free evenings and good deals for students.

10/8/2005

The Whitney houses American art.  It's pretty big; I think five floors.  You can spend entire afternoons.  I love their strange and wacky exhibits; lots of abstract stuff.  Can be more expensive than other museums in NYC to get in though.

2/9/2008

The permanent collection is amazing.  I've never been here when any outstanding collection was happening but would definitely go because they really have a grasp on works of art.

1/2/2007

i love the whitney & that's that. go there. this place, the met, & moma are my favorites, as all have gorgeous photo exhibits.

3/26/2009

the whitney is the kind of museum you would like to go again in. its not such a trek walking inside and they have great exhibits. their summer of love was really cool and memoriable. make sure to stop by their gift shop.

12/29/2005

everytime ive gone here, ive been really disappointed...i think this museum tries too hard to be artsy fartsy.  therefore, it fails in originality and being true to the art world.  the whitney is way overrated!

9/22/2007

I specifically went to the Summer of Love exhibition, which was a lot fun,  to see how psychedelic that art was.  Oh, it be psychedelic.  The art was really cool, but there were some pieces that just made no sense and were flashes of light.  Only worked I guess if there was drug use when looking at the pieces.  I didn't, but I guess if I did, then I would be overstimulated by all the colors and sounds.  I love the music from that time and it was great because they would play it throughout the exhibit.  They also had some great Beatles pics as well as a history on the Summer of Love with accounts from many who were actually there.  They also had this really interesting room where you could lay down almost anywhere on these weirdly shaped chairs and shelves.  Just cool to be in there.  I would like to go back to see the main collection, which I hear is great as well, so we'll see.  Great times though and I'd expect the collection to be great, since I'm a big fan of Hopper and there's a lot of his stuff here.  I always like his stuff at the MOMA and I did get to see a little of him here, which was a good complement to the Summer of Love, which was just blow away.