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The Whitney Museum In NYC – Full Guide

The Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan, New York is also known as “The Whitney”. It’s exact location can be sufficed in the Meatpacking and West Village neighbourhoods of Manhattan. It was founded and established by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in 1930. He was a rich man who had deep fondness for art and sculpture. 

The Whitney Museum mostly specialises in post-1950 art and sometimes people call upon it as contemporary art. If we were to go by statistics then this museum is home to over 25,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, artefacts, films, videos and photographs from over 3,500 artists. The museum not only celebrates the best work of artists from the last century but also puts great effort in the current day living artisans. Whitney Museum also conducts annual exhibitions to portray the best work of struggling and lesser-known artists. 

When Did The Whitney Museum Open?

From the year 1966 to 2014, the Whitney was located at 945 Madison Avenue, Manhattan. That building was designed by famous architects Hamilton P. Smith and Marcel Breuer. In 2014 followed a short period of closure. During the time of its closure, the museum was relocated to where it is now (99 Gansevoort Street) and this current building is designed by Renzo Piano. It opened in May 2015. 

Why Is The Whitney Museum Famous?

Whitney Museum’s popularity is subject to their quintessential yet unique way of doing things. The Whitney was the first museum in United States to portray works of lesser famous artists. This allowed the museum to gain a massive fan following and a set number of those fans are artists themselves. Who doesn’t like local talent? The Whitney was also the first museum to conduct a whole secluded exhibition of video works by Nam June Paik in 1982. 

How Much Does It Cost To Get Into The Whitney Museum?

The Whitney works at a paradigm that costs distinctively for each age group. The adults can enter the museum at a fee of $25.00. However, the seniors and students both get charged $18.00 to enter. Fortunately, if you have children then you must feel a bit lightheaded as the Whitney doesn’t charge for children under the age of 18. 

What Not To Miss At The Whitney Museum?

The Whitney is a place rich in art and sculptures but sometimes it gets quite a headache in order to decide which things to visit first and foremost at the museum. Perhaps to make things a tad bit easeer for you, we have come up with the best attractions there are at the museum. 

  • Marsden Hartley, Painting Number 5 (1914-15)
  • George Bellows, Dempsey and Firpo (1924)
  • Joseph Stella, The Brooklyn Bridge Variation on an Old Theme (1939)
  • George Tooker, The Subway (1950)
  • Charles Ray, Puzzle Bottle (1995)
  • Alexander Calder, Calder’s Circus (1926-31)