• Robert Morris, Untitled (3 Ls), 1965(refabricated in 1970). Stainless steel, 243.8 × 243.8 × 61 cm. Edition of 3.
  • Joel Shapiro, Untitled, 1980-81. Bronze, 131.6 × 152.7 × 114.6 cm. Artist’s proof (plus edition of 3).
  • David Smith, Lectern Sentinel, 1961. Stainless steel, 258.5 × 101 × 52.9 cm.
  • David Smith, Running Daughter, 1956/60. Painted steel, 255.3 × 86.4 × 51.4 cm.
  • David Smith, Cubi XXI, 1964. Painted steel, 295 × 105.4 × 103.8 cm.
  • Scott Burton, Pair of Two-Part Chairs, Obtuse Angle, 1984. Polished granite, 83.8 × 61 × 83.8 cm. Edition of 2.
  • Tony Smith, Die, 1962. steel, 183.8 × 183.8 × 183.8 cm. Edition of 3.
  • Mary Heilmann, Sunset, 2015. Printed vinyl and aluminum.
  • Mary Heilmann, Monochrome Chairs, 2015. Plywood, polyurethane paint and rubber.
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In New York, the new Whitney museum opens up to the outdoors.

Destinations - 25/05/2015 - Article : Dominique Haim - Photos : Dominique Haim

The Whitney Museum of American Art was founded in 1930 by sculptor and collector Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney to support and promote American art and artists of the time. For the past fifty years, the museum was located in the Upper East Side, in a historical building designed by Marcel Breuer. But in October 2014, it was transferred to a new building designed by Renzo Piano and situated at the foot of the High Line, in the Meat Packing district.  This new building increases the Museum’s exhibition space by 60% and offers a total surface three times larger than the former building. The new Whitney, which came to a cost of 422 million dollars, can finally present its incredible collection which, until now, had rarely been displayed due to lack of space. With 21,000 pieces created in the United States by more than three thousand artists from the 20th and 21st centuries, it is one of the largest modern and contemporary art collections in the world. We gave it a look…

From the get-go, the museum seems to be turned towards the outdoors. In the entrance hall, natural light flows in through the tall glass walls.  The inaugural exhibition, America Is Hard to See, reexamines the history of American art from the beginning of the 20th century to the present, and comprises a selection of more than six hundred works, all drawn from the collection. The visit of the exhibition starts on the last floor, where wide glass windows facing the east and west offer panoramic views of the city.  To the west, a large sitting bench allows visitors to take a break and gaze at the Hudson River and New Jersey. To the East, on four floors, wall to wall glass windows open up on terraces displaying works by some of the most emblematic American sculptors such as Robert Morris, Tony Smith, David Smith or Joel Shapiro.

On a beautiful spring afternoon, we enjoyed using the exterior stairs that connect each floor of the museum. But it might be a different story when, in the depths of winter, the frigid northern winds will be blowing on the Hudson valley…

Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort Street
New York, NY 10014
Meat Packing District

Museum hours
Closed on Tuesdays
Monday – Wednesday – Sunday: 10:30am-6pm
Thursday – Friday – Saturday: 10:30am-10pm
www.whitney.org