Editing Whitney Museum

{{Short description|Art museum in New York City}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox museum
| name            = Whitney Museum of American Art
| logo            = [[File:Whitney Museum Logo.jpg|120px]]
| image           = Whitney_Museum_of_American_Art_(49051573133).jpg
| caption         = The front of the museum (2019)
| mapframe        = yes
| mapframe-caption = Interactive fullscreen map
| mapframe-zoom   = 11
| mapframe-marker = museum
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| coordinates     = {{WikidataCoord|display=it}}
| established     = {{Start date|1930}}
| dissolved       = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| location        = 99 [[Gansevoort Street]], [[Lower Manhattan]], [[New York City]]
| type            = [[Art museum]]
| accreditation   = 
| key_holdings    = 
| collections     = 
| collection_size = 
| visitors        = 768,000 (2023)<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Cheshire |first1=Lee |last2=da Silva |first2=José |last3=Research by Lillie Ellen Moller and Robert Palk |date=2024-03-26 |title=The 100 most popular art museums in the world—blockbusters, bots and bounce-backs |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/03/26/the-100-most-popular-art-museums-in-the-world-2023 |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=The Art Newspaper}}</ref>
| founder         = [[Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney]]
| director        = [[Scott Rothkopf]], Alice Pratt Brown Director
| president       = 
| chairperson     = 
| curator         = [[Kim Conaty]], Nancy and Steve Crown Family Chief Curator
| architect       = [[Renzo Piano]]
| historian       = 
| owner           = 
| publictransit   = '''[[New York City Subway|Subway]]''': {{NYCS 14th Eighth|time=bullets}} at [[14th Street – Eighth Avenue (New York City Subway)|14th Street&nbsp;– Eighth Avenue]] <br>'''[[New York City Bus|Bus]]''': {{NYC bus link|M11|M12|M14A|M14D}}
| car_park        = 
| parking         = 
| network         = 
| website         = {{URL|https://whitney.org/|whitney.org}}
| embedded        = 
}}

The '''Whitney Museum of American Art''', known informally as "'''The Whitney'''", is a [[Modern art|modern]] and [[Contemporary art|contemporary]] American [[art museum]] located in the [[Meatpacking District, Manhattan|Meatpacking District]] and [[West Village]] neighborhoods of [[Manhattan]] in [[New York City]]. The institution was originally founded in 1930 by [[Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney]] (1875–1942), a prominent American [[socialite]], [[Sculpture|sculptor]], and art patron after whom it is named.

The Whitney focuses on collecting and preserving 20th- and 21st-century [[American art]]. Its permanent collection, spanning the late-19th century to the present, comprises more than 25,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, films, videos, and artifacts of [[new media]] by more than 3,500 artists. It places particular emphasis on exhibiting the work of living artists as well as maintaining institutional archives of historical documents pertaining to modern and contemporary American art, including the [[Edward Hopper|Edward]] and [[Josephine Hopper|Josephine]] Hopper Research Collection (the museum is the largest repository of Edward Hopper's artwork and archival materials in the world), the Sanborn Hopper Archive, and the [[Arshile Gorky]] Research Collection, among others.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Institutional Archives |url=https://whitney.org/research/archives/institutional-archives |access-date=2023-06-22 |website=Whitney Museum of American Art |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Edward and Josephine Hopper Resources |url=https://whitney.org/research/edward-and-josephine-hopper-resources |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=Whitney Museum of American Art |language=en |quote=Today, the Whitney is the world's largest repository of Hopper’s artwork and archival materials.}}</ref>

From 1966 to 2014, the Whitney was located at [[945 Madison Avenue]] on Manhattan's [[Upper East Side]] in a building designed by [[Marcel Breuer]] and Hamilton P. Smith. The museum closed in October 2014 to relocate to its current building, which was designed by [[Renzo Piano]] at 99 [[Gansevoort Street]] and opened on May 1, 2015, expanding the museum exhibition space to {{convert|50000|sqft|m2}}.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Roberta |date=2015-04-30 |title=New Whitney Museum Signifies a Changing New York Art Scene |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/02/arts/design/new-whitney-museum-signifies-a-changing-new-york-art-scene.html |access-date=2023-06-19 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> 

The museum organizes the [[Whitney Biennial]], a bi-annual exhibition showcasing the work of emerging American artists, considered the longest-running and most important survey of contemporary art in the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Reinhard |first1=Scott |last2=Watkins |first2=Derek |last3=DeSANTIS |first3=ALICIA |last4=Taylor |first4=Rumsey |last5=Mitter |first5=Siddhartha |date=2019-07-05 |title=Where Does Major American Art Come From? Mapping the Whitney Biennial. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/07/05/arts/design/whitney-biennial-maps.html |access-date=2024-01-19 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |quote=the most prestigious American contemporary exhibition}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kelly |first=By Brian P. |title=Whitney Biennial 2024 Review: Reality Check |url=https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/fine-art/whitney-biennial-2024-review-reality-check-airdigital-29c4f7db |access-date=2024-03-14 |work=The Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |quote=The most significant—and longest-running—survey of contemporary American art}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Vartanian |first1=Hrag |last2=Haddad |first2=Hrag Vartanian, Valentina Di Liscia, Natalie |date=2024-03-14 |title=First Impressions From the 2024 Whitney Biennial |url=http://hyperallergic.com/877662/first-impressions-from-the-2024-whitney-biennial/ |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=Hyperallergic |language=en-US |quote=As the Whitney Museum’s signature event, the Biennial is a highly anticipated exhibition that often acts as a barometer of trends and ideas percolating in global art communities, as told through an American lens.}}</ref> The museum also heads the Whitney Independent Study Program, which began in 1968, to support artists, [[Art criticism|critics]] and [[Art history|art historians]] by "encouraging the theoretical and critical study of the practices, institutions, and discourses that constitute the field of culture".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singerman |first=Howard |date=2004-02-01 |title=IN THEORY & PRACTICE: A HISTORY OF THE WHITNEY INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAM |url=https://www.artforum.com/features/in-theory-practice-a-history-of-the-whitney-independent-study-program-168038/ |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=Artforum |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Independent Study Program (ISP) |url=https://whitney.org/isp |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=Whitney Museum of American Art |language=en}}</ref> In 2023, with 768,000 visitors, the Whitney was the 31st [[List of most-visited museums in the United States|most-visited museum]] in the United States and the 89th [[List of most-visited art museums|most-visited art museum]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Cheshire |first1=Lee |last2=da Silva |first2=José |last3=Research by Lillie Ellen Moller and Robert Palk |date=2024-03-26 |title=The 100 most popular art museums in the world—blockbusters, bots and bounce-backs |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/03/26/the-100-most-popular-art-museums-in-the-world-2023 |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=The Art Newspaper}}</ref>

==History==
===Early years===
[[File:Whitney Museum 8-12 West 8th Street.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Whitney Museum of American Art (original building)|The Whitney's original location]], at 8–12 [[8th Street (Manhattan)|West 8th Street]], between [[Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)|Fifth Avenue]] and [[MacDougal Street]] in [[Greenwich Village]]]]

[[Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney]], the museum's namesake and founder, was a well-regarded sculptor and serious art collector. As a patron of the arts, she began acquiring art in 1905, and had achieved some success with the Whitney Studio and Whitney Studio Club, New York–based exhibition spaces she operated from 1914 to 1928 to promote the works of ''avant garde'' and unrecognized American artists. Whitney favored the radical art of the American artists of the [[Ashcan School]] such as [[John Sloan]], [[George Luks]], and [[Everett Shinn]], as well as others such as [[Edward Hopper]], [[Stuart Davis (painter)|Stuart Davis]], [[Charles Demuth]], [[Charles Sheeler]], and [[Max Weber (artist)|Max Weber]].<ref name="Saatchi">{{cite web | url=http://www.saatchigallery.com/museums/museum-profile.php/Whitney+Museum+Of+American+Art/4767.html | title=Whitney Museum of American Art | work=The Saatchi Gallery | access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Breuer's Whitney: An Anniversary Exhibition|publisher=Whitney Museum of American Art|page=4|url=https://archive.org/details/breuerswhitneyan2022unse|date=1996|accessdate=March 12, 2021}}</ref>

With the aid of her assistant, [[Juliana R. Force]], Whitney collected nearly 700 works of American art. In 1929, she offered to donate over 500 to the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], but the museum declined the gift. This, along with the apparent preference for European [[modernism]] at the recently opened [[Museum of Modern Art]], led Whitney to start her own museum, exclusively for American art, in 1929.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/17/nyregion/gertrude-vanderbilt-whitneys-village-studios-birthplace-of-museum-to-admit-visitors.html?_r=0 | title=Art Studios Where Whitney Museum Was Born Will Admit Visitors | first=David W. | last=Dunlap | date=May 16, 2016 | newspaper=New York Times | access-date=July 12, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/inside-the-breuer-building-after-the-whitney-and-before-the-met | title=Inside the Breuer Building, After the Whitney and Before the MET | first=Andrea K. | last=Scott | date=March 12, 2016 | magazine=The New Yorker | access-date=July 12, 2016}}</ref>

Whitney Library archives from 1928 reveal that during this time, the Studio Club used the gallery space of [[Wilhelmina Weber Furlong]] of the Art Students League to exhibit traveling shows featuring modernist work.<ref>The Biography of Wilhelmina Weber Furlong: The Treasured Collection of Golden Heart Farm by Clint B. Weber, {{ISBN|0-9851601-0-1}}, {{ISBN|978-0-9851601-0-4}}</ref><ref>The Whitney Museum Library archival items number 15405</ref> The Whitney Museum of American Art was founded in 1930;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Whitney-Museum-of-American-Art|title=Whitney Museum of American Art &#124; History, Collection, New York, & Facts &#124; Britannica|date=October 25, 2023 }}</ref> at this time architect Noel L. Miller was converting three row houses on [[8th Street (Manhattan)|West 8th Street]] in [[Greenwich Village]]—one of which, [[Whitney Museum of American Art (original building)|8 West 8th Street]] had been the location of the Studio Club—to be the museum's home, as well as a residence for Whitney.<ref name=nycland>{{cite nycland}}, p.54</ref> The new museum opened in 1931. [[Juliana Force]] became the museum's first director, and under her guidance, it concentrated on displaying the works of new and contemporary American artists. She declared at the opening, "There may be pictures here that you do not like, but they are here to stay, so you may as well get used to them."<ref name="berman1">{{cite book|last=Berman|first=Avis|title=Rebels on Eighth Street: Juliana Force and the Whitney Museum of American Art|url=https://archive.org/details/rebelsoneighthst00berm|url-access=registration|publisher=Atheneum|year=1990|isbn=9780689120862|place=New York}}</ref>

In 1954, the museum left its original location<ref name=nycland /> and moved to a small structure on 54th Street connected to and behind the Museum of Modern Art on 53rd Street. On April 15, 1958, a fire on MOMA's second floor that killed one person forced the evacuation of paintings and staff on MOMA's upper floors to the Whitney. Among the paintings evacuated was ''[[A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte]]'', which was on loan from the [[Art Institute of Chicago]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Greg |last=Allen |url=http://greg.org/archive/2010/09/02/moma_on_fire.html |title=MoMA On Fire |publisher=greg.org |date=September 2, 2010 |access-date=January 26, 2014}}</ref>

===Move to the Upper East Side===
{{main|945 Madison Avenue}}
[[File:Whitney Museum of American Art.JPG|thumb|right|267px|[[945 Madison Avenue]] was the Whitney's home from 1966 to 2014; the [[Marcel Breuer]]-designed building has seen numerous subsequent uses.]]

In 1961, the Whitney began seeking a site for a larger building. In 1966, it settled at the southeast corner of [[Madison Avenue (Manhattan)|Madison Avenue]] and 75th Street on [[Manhattan]]'s [[Upper East Side]].<ref name="cgraynyt">{{cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/realestate/14Scapes.html?_r=1&hp |title=The Controversial Whitney Museum |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 14, 2010}}</ref> The building, planned and built 1963–1966 by [[Marcel Breuer]] and Hamilton P. Smith in a distinctively modern style, is easily distinguished from the neighboring townhouses by its staircase façade made of granite stones and its trapezoidal windows. In 1967, [[Mauricio Lasansky]] showed "The Nazi Drawings". The exhibition traveled to the Whitney, where it appeared with shows by [[Louise Nevelson]] and [[Andrew Wyeth]] as the first exhibits in the new museum.

The institution grappled with space problems for decades.<ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news |first1=Carol |last1=Vogel |first2=Kate |last2=Taylor |date=April 11, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/arts/design/12museum.html |title=Rift in Family as Whitney Plans a Second Home |newspaper=[[New York Times]]}}</ref> In 1967, the museum opened a satellite space called the Art Resources Center (ARC). Originally intended to be located in the South Bronx, the ARC opened on Cherry Street on the Lower East Side.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Anagnost |first1=Adrian |title=Decentralize! Art, Power, and Space in the New York Art World |journal=Konsthistorisk Tidskrift/Journal of Art History |date=2020 |volume=89 |issue=2 |pages=100–125 |doi=10.1080/00233609.2020.1758205 |s2cid=221065038 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00233609.2020.1758205}}</ref> From 1973 to 1983, the Whitney operated a branch at [[55 Water Street]], a building owned by [[Harold Uris]], who gave the museum a lease for $1 a year. In 1983, [[Philip Morris International]] installed a Whitney branch in the lobby of its Park Avenue headquarters. In 1981, the museum opened an exhibition space in [[Stamford, Connecticut]], housed at [[Champion International]].<ref name="nytimes1986">{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Brenson |date=February 23, 1986 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/23/arts/art-view-museum-and-corporation-a-delicate-balance.html |title=Museum And Corporation&nbsp;– A Delicate Balance |newspaper=New York Times}}</ref> In the late 1980s, the Whitney entered into arrangements with Park Tower Realty, [[IBM]], and [[the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States]], setting up satellite museums with rotating exhibitions in their buildings' lobbies.<ref name="nytimes1988">{{cite news |first=Grace |last=Glück |author-link=Grace Glueck |date=December 4, 1988 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/04/magazine/mogul-power-at-the-whitney.html |title=Mogul Power At The Whitney |newspaper=New York Times}}</ref> Each museum had its own director, with all plans approved by a Whitney committee.<ref name="nytimes1986"/>

The institution attempted to expand its landmark building in 1978, commissioning UK architects [[Derek Walker (architect)|Derek Walker]] and [[Norman Foster]] to design a tall tower alongside it, the first of several proposals from leading architects, but each time, the effort was abandoned, because of the cost, the design, or both.<ref name="nytimes1" /> To secure additional space for the museum's collections, then-director [[Thomas N. Armstrong III]] developed plans for a 10-story, $37.5 million addition to the main building. The proposed addition, designed by [[Michael Graves]] and announced in 1985, drew immediate opposition. Graves had proposed demolishing the flanking brownstones down to the [[East 74th Street]] corner for a complementary addition. The project gradually lost the support of the museum's trustees, and the plans were dropped in 1989.<ref>William Grimes (June 22, 2011), [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/arts/design/thomas-n-armstrong-iii-whitney-museum-chief-dies-at-78.html?ref=design Thomas N. Armstrong III, Museum Chief Who Once Led the Whitney, Dies at 78], ''New York Times''.</ref> In 1988, a satellite branch was opened at 33 Maiden Lane.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/16/arts/the-whitney-returns-to-downtown.html | title=The Whitney Returns to Downtown | work=The New York Times | date=April 16, 1988 | last1=Yarrow | first1=Andrew L. }}</ref> Between 1995 and 1998, the building underwent a renovation and expansion by [[Gluckman Mayner Architects|Richard Gluckman]]. In 2001, [[Rem Koolhaas]] was commissioned to submit two designs for a $200 million expansion. Those plans were dropped in 2003,<ref>Carol Vogel (April 15, 2003), [https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/15/arts/whitney-scraps-expansion-plans.html Whitney Scraps Expansion Plans] ''New York Times''.</ref> causing director Maxwell L. Anderson to resign.<ref>Carol Vogel (May 13, 2003), [https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/13/arts/director-of-the-whitney-resigns.html?ref=maxwelllanderson Director of the Whitney Resigns] ''New York Times.''</ref> New York restaurateur [[Danny Meyer]] opened Untitled, a restaurant in the museum, in March 2011. The space was designed by the [[Rockwell Group]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Hard |first=Ali |url=http://www.zagat.com/buzz/danny-meyers-untitled-debuts-in-the-whitney |title=Zagat Buzz Blog: Danny Meyer's Untitled Debuts in The Whitney, March 28, 2011 |publisher=Zagat.com |date=March 28, 2011 |access-date=January 8, 2013}}</ref>

===Move downtown===
[[File:Whitney Museum and end of High Line.jpg|thumb|Entrance to the Whitney via the High Line]]
[[File:The Whitney Museum, New York City in 2015.JPG|alt=|thumb|275x275px|The current home of the Whitney, a building designed by [[Renzo Piano]]]]
The Whitney developed a new main building, designed by [[Renzo Piano]], in the [[West Village]] and [[Meatpacking District, Manhattan|Meatpacking District]] in [[lower Manhattan]]. The new museum, at the intersection of Gansevoort and [[Washington Street (Manhattan)|Washington Street]]s, was built on a previously city-owned site and marks the southern entrance to the [[High Line]] park.<ref name="nytimes1"/> Construction began in 2010 and was completed in 2015.<ref name="cgraynyt"/> It cost $422 million.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2015/05/02/whitney-museum-building-renzo-piano-gets-architecture-right/UKtLzaCXSF654MmGz77RwJ/story.html | title=Whitney Museum building by Renzo Piano gets its design right | work=Boston Globe | date=May 2, 2015 | access-date=May 2, 2015}}</ref> Robert Silman Associates was the structural engineer; [[Jaros, Baum & Bolles]] provided MEP services; [[Ove Arup & Partners]] was the lighting/daylighting engineer; and [[Turner Construction]] LLC served as construction manager.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Building |url=https://whitney.org/about/our-building |access-date=2022-12-06 |website=whitney.org |language=en}}</ref>

The new structure spans {{convert|200000|sqft|m2}} and eight stories that include the city's largest column-free art gallery spaces, an education center, theater, a conservation laboratory, and a library and reading rooms. Two of the floors are fully devoted to the museum's permanent collection.<ref>Ellie Stathaki (October 16, 2013), [http://www.wallpaper.com/architecture/under-construction-the-whitney-museums-new-hq-by-renzo-piano-in-new-york/6852 Under Construction: The Whitney Museum's new HQ by Renzo Piano in New York] ''[[Wallpaper (magazine)|Wallpaper]]''.</ref> The only permanent artwork commissioned for the site—its four main elevators—were conceived by [[Richard Artschwager]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Carol |last=Vogel |date=June 6, 2013 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/arts/design/elevators-as-art-for-the-new-whitney.html |title=The Museum Elevator as Immersive Art |newspaper=New York Times}}</ref> The new building's collection comprises over 600 works by over 400 artists.<ref name="nytimes2">{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/02/arts/design/new-whitney-museum-signifies-a-changing-new-york-art-scene.html?_r=0 | title=New Whitney Museum Signifies a Changing New York Art Scene | work=New York Times | date=April 30, 2016 | access-date=May 1, 2015 | first=Roberta| last=Smith}}</ref> Observation decks on the floors five through eight are linked by an outdoor staircase.

The new building is much more expansive and open than the old ones.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/01/new-whitney-museum_n_7189120.html | title=12 Things To Search For At The Brand New Whitney Museum | work=Huffington Post | date=May 1, 2015 | access-date=May 2, 2015 | first=Katherine| last=Brooks}}</ref> As one ''New York Times'' review described the building:

{{quote|The Whitney ... has a series of events spaces at its margins: a flexible auditorium and four large terraces, three of which are linked by an outdoor staircase. ... It has timed tickets that are designed to control crowding, but people may linger longer than expected. After art they can retire to the eighth-floor cafe, the terraces or the lines of comfy leather couches facing glass walls overlooking the Hudson and Greenwich Village at either end of the fifth floor.<ref name="nytimes2"/>}}

The museum needed to raise $760 million for the building and its endowment. In May 2011, the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] announced it had entered into an agreement to occupy the Madison Avenue building for at least eight years starting in 2015, easing the Whitney's burden of having to finance two large museum spaces.<ref name=the-met-to-take-over>{{cite news |first=Carol |last=Vogel |date=May 11, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/arts/design/the-met-to-take-over-whitneys-breuer-building.html?partner=rss&emc=rss |title=Met Plans to Occupy the Whitney's Uptown Site |newspaper=New York Times}}</ref> The occupation of the old space was later postponed to 2016.<ref>{{citation|url=http://theartnewspaper.com/news/museums/the-year-ahead-museums-opening-in-2016/|first=Gareth|last=Harris|title=The Year Ahead: museums opening in 2016|date=January 1, 2016|work=[[The Art Newspaper]]|access-date=January 5, 2016}}</ref>

After an April 30, 2015, ceremonial ribbon-cutting attended by [[Michelle Obama]] and [[Bill de Blasio]],<ref name="nytimes2"/> the new building opened on May 1, 2015.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2015/05/01/new-whitney-museum-makes-waves-on-social-media/ | title=New Whitney Museum makes waves on social media | work=Wall Street Journal Blog | access-date=May 1, 2015 | date=May 1, 2015}}</ref>

=== 2018{{en dash}}2019 protests ===
{{Further|Warren Kanders#Whitney Museum protests}}
[[File:Decolonize this place 040519 whitney museum full image.jpg|alt=image of banners on floor of museum lobby, reading "Fuera Warren Kanders" and "Safariland Supports the NYPD"|thumb|314x314px|Banners from April 5, 2019, protest by Decolonize This Place at the Whitney Museum, New York NY, over board vice chair [[Warren Kanders]]' ownership of Safariland, a manufacturer of tear gas and other weapons]]
The Board of Trustees has come under criticism since November 2018 by groups including [[Decolonize This Place]], the [[Chinatown Art Brigade]], and [[Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.)|W.A.G.E.]], for vice chair [[Warren Kanders]]' ownership of the company [[Safariland]], which manufactured tear gas used against the [[Central American migrant caravans#Late 2018 caravan|late-2018 migrant caravans]];<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.artnews.com/2019/01/26/whitney-museum-decolonize-this-place-town-hall-warren-b-kanders/|title='Whitney Museum, Shame on You': Decolonize This Place Holds Town Hall on Warren B. Kanders Controversy|last=Greenberger|first=Alex|date=2019-01-26|website=ARTnews|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-28}}</ref> 120 scholars and critics published an open letter to the Whitney Museum asking for the removal of Kanders from the museum board; additional signatories after the letter's initial posting included almost 50 artists who have been selected for the 2019 Whitney Biennial.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hyperallergic.com/497515/almost-50-whitney-biennal-artists-sign-letter-demanding-removal-of-warren-kanders-from-museum-board/|title=Almost 50 Whitney Biennal Artists Sign Letter Demanding Removal of Warren Kanders from Museum Board|date=2019-04-29|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-30}}</ref> A series of nine weeks of protest by Decolonize This Place highlighted the use of Safariland weapons against protestors and others in Palestine and other places.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hyperallergic.com/496205/a-heated-fifth-week-of-protest-at-the-whitney-museum-centers-palestinian-liberation/|title=A Heated Fifth Week of Protest at the Whitney Museum Centers Palestinian Liberation|date=2019-04-20|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-30}}</ref>

On July 17, 2019, calls for Kanders's resignation were renewed following Artforum's publication of an essay, "The Tear Gas Biennial", by [[Hannah Black]], Ciarán Finlayson, and Tobi Haslett.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.artforum.com/slant/a-statement-from-hannah-black-ciaran-finlayson-and-tobi-haslett-on-warren-kanders-and-the-2019-whitney-biennial-80328|title=The Tear Gas Biennial|website=www.artforum.com|date=July 17, 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-28}}</ref> On July 19, four artists ([[Korakrit Arunanondchai]], [[Meriem Bennani]], [[Nicole Eisenman]], and [[Nicholas Galanin]]) published a letter, also in Artforum, asking their work to be withdrawn from the exhibition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.artforum.com/slant/a-letter-from-artists-in-the-whitney-biennial-80361|title=A Letter from Artists in the Whitney Biennial|website=www.artforum.com|date=July 19, 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-28}}</ref> (The first artist to withdraw was [[Michael Rakowitz]], who withdrew his work before the Biennial opened.) A day later, a second wave of artists (Eddie Arroyo, [[Christine Sun Kim]], [[Agustina Woodgate]], and [[Forensic Architecture]]) also withdrew.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hyperallergic.com/511052/warren-kanders-resigns/|title=Warren Kanders Resigns From Whitney Museum Board After Months of Controversy and Protest [UPDATED]|date=2019-07-26|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-28}}</ref>

On July 25, 2019, Warren B. Kanders announced his resignation from the Board of Trustees of the Whitney Museum.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newcriterion.com/issues/2019/10/marching-right-along|title=Marching right along|website=newcriterion.com|date=September 26, 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-10-07}}</ref> Kanders cited no wish to play a role in the museum's demise and urged fellow trustees to step up and assume leadership of the Whitney.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/arts/whitney-warren-kanders-resigns.html|title=Warren Kanders Resigns as Whitney Trustee After Protests Over Tear Gas|last1=Pogrebin|first1=Robin|date=2019-07-25|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-07-25|last2=Harris|first2=Elizabeth A.|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Collection==
[[File:Robert Henri - Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|300px|''Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney'' by [[Robert Henri]] (1916)]]
The museum displays [[painting]]s, [[drawing]]s, [[printmaking|print]]s, [[sculpture]]s, [[installation art]], video, and [[photography]].

The original 600 works in the permanent collection grew to about 1,300 with the opening of the second building in 1954. This number grew to around 2,000 following its move to the Breuer building on Madison Avenue in 1966. It began collecting photography in 1991. Today, spanning the late 19th century to the present, the collection contains more than 25,000 artworks by upwards of 3,500 artists.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whitney.org/collection/works|title=Collection|website=whitney.org|language=en|access-date=2020-01-03}}</ref> Artists represented include [[Josef Albers]], [[Joe Andoe]], [[Edmund Archer (artist)|Edmund Archer]], [[Donald Baechler]], [[Thomas Hart Benton (painter)|Thomas Hart Benton]], [[Lucile Blanch]], [[Jonathan Borofsky]], [[Louise Bourgeois]], [[Frank Bowling]], [[Sonia Gordon Brown]], [[Charles Burchfield]], [[Alexander Calder]], [[Suzanne Caporael]], [[Norman Carton]], [[Carolina Caycedo]], [[Ching Ho Cheng]], [[Talia Chetrit]], [[Ann Craven]], [[Anna Craycroft]], [[Dan Christensen]], [[Greg Colson]], [[Susan Crocker]], [[Ronald Davis]], [[Stuart Davis (painter)|Stuart Davis]], [[Mira Dancy]], [[Lindsey Decker]], [[Martha Diamond]], [[Richard Diebenkorn]], [[Daniella Dooling]], [[Arthur Dove]], [[Loretta Dunkelman]], [[William Eggleston]], [[Helen Frankenthaler]], [[Georgia O'Keeffe]], [[Arshile Gorky]], [[Keith Haring]], [[Grace Hartigan]], [[Marsden Hartley]], [[Robert Henri]], [[Carmen Herrera]], [[Eva Hesse]], [[Hans Hofmann]], [[Edward Hopper]], [[Richard Hunt (sculptor)|Richard Hunt]], [[Jasper Johns]], [[Corita Kent]], [[Franz Kline]], [[Terence Koh]], [[Willem de Kooning]], [[Lee Krasner]], [[Ronnie Landfield]], [[Roy Lichtenstein]], [[John Marin]], [[Knox Martin]], [[John McCracken (artist)|John McCracken]], [[John McLaughlin (artist)|John McLaughlin]], [[Robert Motherwell]], [[Bruce Nauman]], [[Louise Nevelson]], [[Barnett Newman]], [[Kenneth Noland]], [[Paul Pfeiffer (artist)|Paul Pfeiffer]], [[Jackson Pollock]], [[Larry Poons]], [[Maurice Prendergast]], [[Kenneth Price]], [[Robert Rauschenberg]], [[Man Ray]], [[Mark Rothko]], [[Morgan Russell]], [[Albert Pinkham Ryder]], [[Cindy Sherman]], [[John Sloan]], [[Frank Stella]], [[Andy Warhol]], and hundreds of others.

Every two years, the museum hosts the [[Whitney Biennial]], an international art show which displays many lesser-known artists new to the American art scene. It has displayed works by many notable artists, and has featured unconventional works, such as a 1976 exhibit of live [[body builder]]s, featuring [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1091158/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103234659/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1091158/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 3, 2013|title=The Show Of Muscles At The Whitney Was Vitiated By&nbsp;– 06.07.76&nbsp;– SI Vault|last=Lowry|first=Katharine|date=June 7, 1976|publisher=Sportsillustrated.cnn.com|access-date=January 8, 2013}}</ref>

In addition to its traditional collection, the Whitney has a website, Artport, that features "Net Art" that changes regularly. The Whitney will not sell any work by a living artist because it could damage that artist's career, but it will trade a living artist's work for another piece by the same artist.<ref>{{cite news |first=Robin |last=Pogrebin |date=January 26, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/arts/design/27sell.html |title=The Permanent Collection May Not Be So Permanent |newspaper=New York Times}}</ref>

=== Gallery ===
{{gallery <!--landscape-->
|width=180 <!--max-->
|height=150 <!--max-->
|mode=packed <!--use 100%-->
|File:Oscar Bluemner - Old Canal Port - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Oscar Florianus Bluemner]], ''Old Canal Port'', (1914)
|File:Theodore Robinson - Etude (1890).jpg|[[Theodore Robinson]], ''Etude'', (1890)
|File:Maurice Prendergast - Central Park, 1900 - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Maurice Prendergast]], ''Central Park, 1900'', (1900)
|File:George Luks - Armistice Night - Google Art Project.jpg|[[George Luks]], ''Armistice Night'', (1918)
|File:Edward Hopper, New York Interior, c. 1921 1 15 18 -whitneymuseum (40015892594).jpg|[[Edward Hopper]], ''New York Interior'', c. 1921
|File:Bellows George Dempsey and Firpo 1924.jpg|[[George Bellows]], ''[[Dempsey and Firpo]]'', (1924)
|File:Charles Demuth - My Egypt.jpg|[[Charles Demuth]], ''[[My Egypt]]'', 1927|File:Stettheimer NewYork Liberty.jpg|[[Florine Stettheimer]], ''New York/Liberty'', 1918-1919|John Steuart Curry, Baptism in Kansas, 1928 1 15 18 -whitneymuseum (40349039654).jpg|[[John Steuart Curry]], ''[[Baptism in Kansas]]'', 1928|Charles Sheeler, River Rouge Plant, 1932 1 15 18 -whitneymuseum (39273167440).jpg|[[Charles Sheeler]], ''River Rouge Plant'', 1932|File:Early-sunday-morning-edward-hopper-1930.jpg|Edward Hopper, ''[[Early Sunday Morning]]'', 1930|File:Tre bandiere Jasper Johns.jpg|[[Jasper Johns]], ''[[Three Flags]]'', 1958|File:Hammerstein's Roof Garden.jpg|[[William Glackens]], ''Hammerstein's Roof Garden'', c. 1901|File:Georgia O'Keeffe Summer Days 1936.jpg|[[Georgia O'Keeffe]], ''[[Summer Days (Georgia O'Keeffe)|Summer Days]]'', 1936}}

==Library==
The Frances Mulhall Achilles Library is a research library originally built on the collections of books and papers of founder Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, and the Whitney Museum's first director, Juliana Force. The library operates in the West Chelsea area of New York City.<ref name="whitney1">{{cite web|url=http://library.whitney.org/ |title=library.whitney.org |publisher=library.whitney.org |access-date=January 26, 2014}}</ref> It contains Special Collections and the Whitney Museum Archives. The archives<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whitney.org/Research/Library/Archives |title=Whitney Museum of American Art: Archives |publisher=Whitney.org |access-date=January 26, 2014}}</ref> contain the Institutional Archives, Research Collections, and Manuscript Collections. The Special Collections consist of artists' books, portfolios, photographs, titles in the Whitney Fellows Artist and Writers Series (1982–2001), posters, and valuable ephemera that relate to the permanent collection. The Institutional Archives include exhibition records, photographs, curatorial research notes, artist's correspondence, audio and video recordings, and trustees' papers from 1912 to the present.

'''Highlights''':
* [[Arshile Gorky]] research collection, 1920s–1990s
* [[Edward Hopper]] research collection, 1894–2000

Books and materials in the library can be accessed in the museum's database.<ref name="whitney1"/>

==Independent Study Program==
The Whitney Independent Study Program (ISP) was founded in 1968 by Ron Clark.<ref>{{cite web |title=Independent Study Program |url=https://whitney.org/collection/Research/ISP |website=whitney.org |language=en}}</ref> The Whitney ISP has helped start the careers of artists, critics, and curators including [[Jenny Holzer]], [[Andrea Fraser]], [[Julian Schnabel]], [[Kathryn Bigelow]], [[Roberta Smith]], and [[Félix González-Torres]], as well as many other well-known cultural producers. The program includes both art history and studio programs. Each year, the ISP selects 14-16 students for the Studio Program (artists), 3-4 for the Curatorial Program (curators) and 6-7 for the Critical Studies Program (scholars and researchers).<ref>{{cite web |title=INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAM. 40 YEARS |url=https://whitneymedia.org/assets/generic_file/142/40yrsISPbook.pdf |publisher=Whitney Museum |access-date=16 March 2025}}</ref> It is a nine-month program that includes both visiting and hired artists, art historians, and critics, and involves the reading of theory. Clark retired in 2023 and [[Gregg Bordowitz]] was selected as his replacement.
<!-- Arranged by decade, year, and alphabetical order within each cohort -->

===Notable alumni===

==== 1960s ====
{{Col-begin|width=95%}}
{{Col-break}}
* [[Power Boothe]]&nbsp;— Fall 1967; Spring 1968
* [[Dona Nelson]]&nbsp;— Spring 1968
* [[Roberta Smith]]&nbsp;— 1968-1969 {{Col-break}}{{Col-break}}{{Col-break}}{{col-end}}

==== 1970s ====
{{Col-begin|width=95%}}
{{Col-break}}
* [[Roger Welch]]&nbsp;— 1970–1971
* [[Bryan Hunt]]&nbsp;— 1971-1972
* [[Kathryn Bigelow]]&nbsp;— 1971-1972
* [[Carole Ann Klonarides]]&nbsp;— 1972-1973
* [[Charlie Ahearn]]&nbsp;— 1972-1973
* [[Edit DeAk]]&nbsp;— 1972-1973
* [[John Newman (sculptor)|John Newman]]&nbsp;— 1972-1973
* [[Michael Smith (performance artist)|Michael Smith]]&nbsp;— 1972-1973
* [[Walter Robinson (artist)|Walter Robinson]]&nbsp;— 1972-1973
* [[Coleen Fitzgibbon]]&nbsp;— 1973-1974
* [[Julian Schnabel]]&nbsp;— 1973-1974{{Col-break}}
* [[Richard Armstrong (museum director)|Richard Armstrong]]&nbsp;— 1973-1974
* [[Tom Otterness]]&nbsp;— 1973-1974
* [[Carrie Rickey]]&nbsp;— 1975–1976 
* [[Exit Art|Jeanette Ingberman]]&nbsp;— 1975-76
* [[Judith Bernstein]]&nbsp;— 1975-1976
* [[David Bates (American artist)|David Bates]]&nbsp;— 1976-1977
* [[Dike Blair]]&nbsp;— 1976-1977
* [[Jenny Holzer]]&nbsp;— 1976-1977
* [[Katharina Sieverding]]&nbsp;— 1976-1977
* [[Lisa Phillips (museum director)|Lisa Phillips]]&nbsp;— 1976-1977
* [[Michael Kessler (artist)|Michael Kessler ]]&nbsp;— 1976-1977{{Col-break}}
* [[Susan Daitch]]&nbsp;— 1976-1977
* [[James Casebere]]&nbsp;— 1977-1978
* [[John Miller (American artist)|John Miller]]&nbsp;— 1977-1978
* [[William Pope.L]]&nbsp;— 1977-1978
* [[Laura Kipnis]]&nbsp;— 1978-1979
* [[Julia Wachtel]]&nbsp;— 1978-1979
* [[Jon Kessler]]&nbsp;— 1979-1980{{Col-break}}{{col-end}}

==== 1980s ====
{{Col-begin|width=95%}}
{{Col-break}}
* [[Félix González-Torres]]&nbsp;— 1980-1981
* [[Shelly Silver]]&nbsp;— 1980—1981
* [[Yong Soon Min]]&nbsp;— 1980-1981
* [[Jack Bankowsky]]&nbsp;— 1981-1982
* [[Laura Cottingham]]&nbsp;— 1981-1982
* [[Andrea Fraser]]&nbsp;— 1983-1984
* [[Tony Cokes]]&nbsp;— 1983-1984
* [[Ashley Bickerton]]&nbsp;— 1984-1985
* [[Glenn Ligon]]&nbsp;— 1984-1985
* [[Jason Simon (artist)|Jason Simon]]&nbsp;— 1984-1985
* [[Mark Dion]]&nbsp;— 1984-1985{{Col-break}}
* [[Gregg Bordowitz]]&nbsp;— 1985-1986
* [[Madeleine Grynsztejn]]&nbsp;— 1985-1986
* [[Marianne Weems]]&nbsp;— 1985-1986
* [[Rirkrit Tiravanija]]&nbsp;— 1985-1986
* [[Zoe Beloff]]&nbsp;— 1985-1986
* [[Peter Doroshenko]]&nbsp;— 1986-1987
* [[Sarah Pirozek]]&nbsp;— 1987–1988
* [[Tom Burr]]&nbsp;— 1987-1988
* [[Tom Kalin]]&nbsp;— 1987-1988
* [[Catherine Gund]]&nbsp;— 1988-1989
* [[Claire Pentecost]]&nbsp;— 1988-1989{{Col-break}}
* [[Gavin Brown (art dealer)|Gavin Brown]]&nbsp;— 1988-1989
* [[Miwon Kwon]]&nbsp;— 1988-1989
* [[Jayce Salloum]]&nbsp;— 1988-1989
* [[Moyra Davey]]&nbsp;— 1988-1989
* [[Helen Molesworth]]&nbsp;— 1989-1990
* [[Renée Green]]&nbsp;— 1989-1990
* [[Sarah Morris]]&nbsp;— 1989–1990{{Col-break}}{{col-end}}

==== 1990s ====
{{Col-begin|width=95%}}
{{Col-break}}
* [[Rainer Ganahl]]&nbsp;— 1990-1991
* [[Pamela M. Lee]]&nbsp;— 1990-1991
* [[Laylah Ali]]&nbsp;— 1991-1992
* [[Natalie Bookchin]]&nbsp;— 1991-1992
* [[Johan Grimonprez]]&nbsp;— 1992-1993
* [[Jutta Koether]]&nbsp;— 1992-1993
* [[Ken Gonzales-Day]]&nbsp;— 1992-1993
* [[Lyle Ashton Harris]]&nbsp;— 1992-1993
* [[Mariko Mori]]&nbsp;— 1992-1993
* [[Michael Richards (sculptor)|Michael Richards]]&nbsp;— 1992-1993
* [[Renee Cox]]&nbsp;— 1992-1993
* [[Allan deSouza|Al-An deSouza]]&nbsp;— 1993-1994
* [[Carlos Basualdo]]&nbsp;— 1994-1995
* [[George Baker (art historian)|George Baker]]&nbsp;— 1994-1995{{Col-break}}
* [[Mungo Thomson]]&nbsp;— 1994-1995
* [[David Černý]]&nbsp;— 1995-1996
* [[Fatimah Tuggar]]&nbsp;— 1995-1996
* [[Nina Katchadourian]]&nbsp;— 1995-1996
* [[Maria Lind]]&nbsp;— 1995-1996
* [[Cameron Martin (artist)|Cameron Martin]]&nbsp;— 1995-1996
* [[Candice Breitz]]&nbsp;— 1996-1997
* [[Ho Tam (artist)|Ho Tam ]]&nbsp;— 1996-1997
* [[J. Yolande Daniels]]&nbsp;— 1996-1997
* [[Matthew Buckingham]]&nbsp;— 1996-1997
* [[Javier Téllez]]&nbsp;— 1997-1998
* [[Paul Pfeiffer (artist)|Paul Pfeiffer]]&nbsp;— 1997–1998
* [[Allora & Calzadilla|Jennifer Allora]]&nbsp;— 1998–1999
* [[Eva Díaz (art historian)|Eva Díaz]]&nbsp;— 1998–1999
* [[Emily Jacir]]&nbsp;— 1998-1999{{Col-break}}
* [[Gerard Byrne (artist, born 1969)|Gerard Byrne]]&nbsp;— 1998-1999
* [[Ellen Harvey]]&nbsp;— 1998-1999
* Jan Baracz — 1998-1999
* [[Raul Zamudio]]&nbsp;— 1998–1999 
* [[Andrea Geyer]]&nbsp;— 1999–2000
* [[Sharon Hayes (artist)|Sharon Hayes]]&nbsp;— 1999–2000
* [[Ashley Hunt]]&nbsp;— 1999–2000
* [[Senam Okudzeto]]&nbsp;— 1999-2000
* [[Bettina Pousttchi]]&nbsp;— 1999–2000
* [[Angel Nevarez and Valerie Tevere|Valerie Tevere]]&nbsp;— 1999-2000{{Col-break}}{{col-end}}

==== 2000s ====
{{Col-begin|width=95%}}
{{Col-break}}
* [[Clifford Owens]]&nbsp;— 2000-2001
* [[Elia Alba]]&nbsp;— 2000-2001
* [[Emily Roysdon]]&nbsp;— 2000–2001
* [[Lana Lin]]&nbsp;— 2000–2001
* [[Angel Nevarez and Valerie Tevere|Angel Nevarez]]&nbsp;— 2001-2002
* [[Carissa Rodriguez]]&nbsp;— 2001-2002
* [[Oscar Tuazon]]&nbsp;— 2001–2002
* [[Rajkamal Kahlon]]&nbsp;— 2001-2002
* [[Gardar Eide Einarsson]]&nbsp;— 2002-2003
* [[H. Lan Thao Lam]]&nbsp;— 2002-2003
* [[K8 Hardy]]&nbsp;— 2002-2003{{Col-break}}
* [[Mai-Thu Perret]]&nbsp;— 2002-2003
* [[Naomi Beckwith]]&nbsp;— 2002-2003
* [[Ulrike Müller (artist)|Ulrike Müller]]&nbsp;— 2002-2003
* [[Melanie Gilligan]]&nbsp;— 2004-2005
* [[Narcissister]]&nbsp;— 2004-2005
* [[Sam Lewitt]]&nbsp;— 2004-2005
* [[Xaviera Simmons]]&nbsp;— 2004-2005
* [[Carlos Motta (artist)|Carlos Motta]]&nbsp;— 2005-2006
* [[Christiane Paul (curator)|Christiane Paul]]&nbsp;— 2005-2007
* [[Emily Sundblad]]&nbsp;— 2005–2006
* [[Ryan Humphrey (artist)|Ryan Humphrey]]&nbsp;— 2005–2006{{Col-break}}
* [[Victoria Fu]]&nbsp;— 2005-2006
* [[Jane Jin Kaisen]]&nbsp;— 2007-2008
* [[Meleko Mokgosi]]&nbsp;— 2007–2008
* [[Sean Raspet]]&nbsp;— 2007-2008
* [[Sreshta Premnath]]&nbsp;— 2007-2008
* [[Heather Hart]]&nbsp;— 2008-2009{{Col-break}}{{col-end}}

==== 2010s ====
{{Col-begin|width=95%}}
{{Col-break}}
* [[Jacqueline Hoang Nguyen]]&nbsp;— 2010-2011
* [[LaToya Ruby Frazier]]&nbsp;— 2010–2011
* [[Hương Ngô]]&nbsp;— 2011-2012
* [[Adelita Husni-Bey]]&nbsp;— 2012-2013
* [[David Birkin]]&nbsp;— 2012-2013
* [[Decolonize This Place|Nitasha Dhillon]]&nbsp;— 2012-2013
* [[Allison Janae Hamilton]]&nbsp;— 2013-2014
* [[Danielle Dean]]&nbsp;— 2013-2014
* [[Hannah Black]]&nbsp;— 2013-2014
* [[Aliza Shvarts]]&nbsp;— 2014-2015{{Col-break}}
* [[Devin Kenny]]&nbsp;— 2014-2015
* [[Maura Brewer]]&nbsp;— 2014-2015
* [[Damali Abrams]]&nbsp;— 2015-2016
* [[American Artist (artist)|American Artist]]&nbsp;— 2016-2017
* [[Eliza Myrie]]&nbsp;— 2019-2020{{Col-break}} {{Col-break}}{{col-end}}

==Governance==

===Funding===
As of March 2011, the Whitney's endowment was $207 million; the museum expected to raise $625 million from its capital campaign by 2015.<ref name="bloomberg1">Sarah Frier and Michelle Kaske (July 13, 2011), [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-13/new-york-s-whitney-museum-pares-debut-yield-on-doubled-demand-muni-credit.html NYC’s Whitney Museum Pares Yield on Doubled Demand: Muni Credit] ''[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]''.</ref> As of June 2016, the endowment had grown to $308 million.<ref>[https://whitney.org/uploads/generic_file/file/59/fy16_audited_financial_statements.pdf 2016 Financial Statement] Retrieved April 21, 2018</ref>

Historically, the operating performance has been essentially breakeven.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110929160509/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/23/idUS199114+23-Jun-2011+BW20110623 Fitch Rates the Whitney Museum of American Art, (NY) Revenue Bonds 'A'; Outlook Stable] ''[[Reuters]]'', June 23, 2011.</ref> The museum restricts the use of its endowment fund for yearly operating expenses to 5% of the fund's value.<ref name="nytimes1"/> The Whitney has historically depended on private collectors and donors for acquisitions of new art.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/05/arts/design/05pogr.html?_r=1&pagewanted=4 |title=ollectors as donors |newspaper=New York Times|date=December 5, 2004 |last1=Pogrebin |first1=Robin |last2=O'Brien |first2=Timothy L. }}</ref> In 2008, [[Leonard A. Lauder]] gave the museum $131 million, the biggest donation in the Whitney's history.<ref name="nytimes" /><ref>{{cite news |first=Carol |last=Vogel |date=March 19, 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/arts/design/19muse.html |title=Whitney Museum to Receive $131 Million Gift |newspaper=New York Times}}</ref> Donations for new purchases dropped to $1.3 million in 2010 from $2.7 million in 2006.<ref name="bloomberg1"/>

===Directors===
The museum's director is [[Scott Rothkopf]] (since 2023).<ref name=":0" /> Former directors include [[Adam D. Weinberg]] (2003–2023), [[Maxwell L. Anderson]] (1998–2003), [[David A. Ross]] (1991–1997), [[Thomas Armstrong III]] (1974–1990), and [[Juliana Force]] (1931–1948).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090326062604/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,800846,00.html Art: Whitney & Force] ''Time'' magazine.</ref>

===Board of trustees===
For years, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney supported the museum single-handedly, as did her daughter, [[Flora Payne Whitney|Flora Whitney Miller]], after her, and until 1961, its board was largely family-run. Flora Payne Whitney served as a museum trustee, then as vice president. From 1942 to 1974, she was the museum's president and chair, after which she served as honorary chair until her death in 1986. Her daughter [[Flora Miller Biddle]] served as president until 1995. Her book ''The Whitney Women and the Museum They Made'' was published in 1999.<ref>Arcade Publishing {{ISBN|978-1-55970-594-3}}</ref>

In 1961, the need for outside support finally forced the board to add outside trustees, including bankers [[Roy Neuberger]] and [[Arthur Altschul]]. [[David Solinger]] became the Whitney's first outside president in 1966.<ref name="nytimes1988"/>

==See also==
* [[Whitney Museum of American Art (original building)]]
* [[List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City]]
* [[List of Whitney Biennial artists]]
* [[Whitney Biennial]]
* [[The Catalog Committee]]

== References ==
; Citations
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|https://whitney.org}}
* [http://library.whitney.org Whitney Museum Library]
* [https://whitney.org/artport Artport: The Whitney Museum Portal to Net Art]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070703175348/http://www.samuelanderson.com/default.aspx?page=5&type=104&project=388&set=1&focus=0&link=1 Conservation Lab Interiors]
*[https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/whitney-museum-of-american-art?hl=en Whitney Museum] within [[Google Arts & Culture]]
*{{commons category-inline}}

{{Museums in Manhattan|state=collapsed}}
{{Visitor attractions in New York City}}
{{Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney}}
{{Greenwich Village}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Whitney Museum of American Art| ]]
[[Category:Art museums and galleries established in 1931]]
[[Category:Art museums and galleries established in 1966]]
[[Category:Whitney family| ]]
[[Category:Museums of American art]]
[[Category:Art museums and galleries in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Museums in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Modern art museums in the United States]]
[[Category:Meatpacking District, Manhattan]]
[[Category:1931 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:Art museums and galleries established in 2015]]
[[Category:Renzo Piano buildings]]
[[Category:Modernist architecture in New York City]]
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