Question for New Yorkers

Um, could someone please just fill me in on this—is the Whitney no longer the Whitney? I'm talking about the Marcel Breuer -designed building on the upper East side where successive levels jutted out over the sidewalk like inverse stairs. I obviously missed something here.

When I lived in D.C. I would make deliberate tours of the art museums, just to keep up, and every few months I'd take the train to Manhattan to see as much art as I could see, sometimes in the company of various friends, sometimes alone. At my most conscientious (admittedly not a long stretch) I was going every month.

But it's been a long time. Sara and I spent a weekend in Manhattan in '15 and I saw the Frick for the first time, one of her favorites, and we saw the big Matisse Show at the Modern. But more generally, I don't get around much any more.

Mike

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Oben sesame

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Another Mike: "The old Whitney is now the Met Breuer. The Whitney is now in the West Village on 10th Avenue and Gansevoort Street by the High Line Park. Very trendy now, lots more tourists."

Mike replies: Hmm, Gansevoort. That was Herman Melville's mother's maiden name. Wonder if the street was named for someone in his family or lineage?

Bruce Appelbaum replies: "Peter Gansevoort was a Continental Army colonel during the Revolutionary War and gave his name to Gansevoort Street. He was the maternal grandfather of Herman Melville."

Timo: "It's been leased to the Met, and now houses some of the Met's modern collection. The new Whitney is a Renzo Piano building getting some synergy from both being downtown and anchoring the High Line."

Enrique: "In a nutshell: The Whitney moved to a huge Renzo Piano designed building at the bottom of the High Line park in the Meatpacking District. Terrific space finally able to show more of its collection. The Met took the opportunity to use the vacated Marcel Breuer inverted ziggurat to display its collection of modern art.

"Although both of these moves met with great success—the brutalist Breuer is getting more attendance than the Whitney ever had—there are financial problems at the Met in part because of the expansion, forcing the director out.

"Also, how in the heck have you never been to the Frick before? Delirious roomful of Fragonard, eye-waitering Turners, three-eighths of the Vermeers in New York, the astonishingly photo-real dueling Holbeins, audacious monochromatic Whistlers, not to mention Romney's sweet portrait of Lady Hamilton which makes you sympathize with Lord Nelson."

John Singer Sargent, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw

Mike adds: Not to mention Rembrandt's magisterial The Polish Rider. And we got to see Sargent's Lady Agnew, on loan at the time from the Scottish National Gallery, an exceptional occasion for me. A hypnotic painting in person.

David Zalaznik: Well, I am not a New Yorker but I was at the Whitney a couple of years ago and saw wonderful exhibit of artist Archibald Motley. Only way I can give a description of its location is it is in the Meatpacking District and at one end of the High Line, one of the most phenomenal urban park ideas I have ever experienced. Along with that, the Whitney has a fantastic restaurant for those of us who are learning healthy eating habits. At this moment, I am wearing a souvenir cap from the High Line."

Comments

[Ed Hawco]

From Wikipedia:

From 1966 to 2014, the Whitney was located at 945 Madison Avenue at East 75th Street in Manhattan's Upper East Side. The museum closed in October 2014 to relocate to a new building designed by Renzo Piano located at 99 Gansevoort Street at Washington Street in the West Village/Meatpacking District neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan; it reopened at the new location on May 1, 2015.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Museum_of_American_Art

The old place is now known as the "Met Breuer."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Met_Breuer

[Hmm, Gansevoort Street...that was Herman Melville's mother's maiden name. I wonder if the street is named for someone related to the author. --Mike]

[Dr__Nick]

The Whitney is downtown at a Renzo Piano designed new building overlooking the Hudson River and the High Line in the Meatpacking District.

The Metropolitan Museum leased the old Whitney building and it is called the Met Breuer now. It is being used for more modern and contemporary exhibitions by the Metropolitan. The Met is supposed to be readying a new modern and contemporary wing in the meantime but is running into money trouble.

[Craig Chin]

The Whitney moved into a new building in the Meatpacking District a few years ago. Their old building on the Upper East Side is now part of the Metropolitan Museum and is called the Met Breuer.

[Bob Kruse]

Don't you mean the Guggenheim?

[Bruce Katz]

Whitney moved to new space in the West Village/Meatpacking District. The Met now uses the old Whitney Bldg and it's called Met Breuer. Saw the Arbus show there last summer.

[Kusandha]

The Whitney moved to a new location in the West Village an year or more ago. The Breuer building is now an extension of The Met Museum.

The new Whitney location is quite nice, and the shows they have put on there that I have seen were well done.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

The Whitney Museum has a shiny new building which opened a year or so ago. The old bulding, designed by Marcel Breuer is now leased by the Met as their "modern" exhibitions building. It's now called the Met Breuer.

I visited it last October to see a Diane Arbus show. The show was rather cleverly presented on freestanding panels but the museum wasn't quite up to speed yet. I'm eagr to revisit it in a month or so but I confess to not being a fan of the brutalist-style that Breuer championed.

[Jim Clark]

Hi Mike,

The Whitney has moved to a new building on the west side of Manhattan south of 14th St. It's on the corner of Ganesvoort and Washington St. I was there last year had a great time. Also, if you do visit I recommend walking the Highline, it's a park created on an abandoned elevated subway track with great views of the city.

Jim C

[Jim Clark]

Mike,

Forgot to mention that the Highline park starts at that same intersection and runs north to about 36th st.

Jim C

[MICHAEL MEYER]

The Breuer designed building is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Whitney moved to a new building down in the Meatpacking neighborhood.

[Alan_A]

The Marcel Breuer building on Madison and 75th, which used to be the Whitney, is now the Met Breuer, housing contemporary art: http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/met-breuer

The Whitney Museum is now located downtown, at 99 Ganesvoort Street: http://whitney.org/

Ex-New Yorker, here, now in the DC area, but bits of art news filter through now and again... not regularly or reliably. Nevertheless, hope this helps.

[John Haines]

"...is the Whitney no longer the Whitney? I'm talking about the Marcel Breuer -designed building on the upper East side"

Short answer, no. Long answer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Museum_of_American_Art

[Phil]

From Wikipedia:

"From 1966 to 2014, the Whitney was located at 945 Madison Avenue at East 75th Street in Manhattan's Upper East Side. The museum closed in October 2014 to relocate to a new building designed by Renzo Piano located at 99 Gansevoort Street at Washington Street in the West Village/Meatpacking District neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan; it reopened at the new location on May 1, 2015."

[churchill]

No it moved downtown

[Ben]

The Whitney has moved downtown into a new building on 14th. It's nice, I like it. Beautiful views.

[Craig Beyers]

The old Whitney closed; the new Whitney is now at the south end of the Chelsea art district and right at the end of the Highline pedestrian park. Highly recommended...

[tex andrews]

Mike, the Whitney is down in Chelsea by the river now, beautiful new building, and the old building is now run by the Met as Met Breuer. HTH

[Gordon Lewis]

The Whitney is still the Whitney. Full name: Whitney Museum of American Art.

[Andrew Dickson]

Hi Mike,

No doubt someone has already replied, but this piece about the new location of the Whitney might be of interest to you: https://www.google.ca/amp/amp.usatoday.com/story/26246753/

[Joel]

The Whitney is now over the High Line in the Meat Packing District, the Breuer Building is being taken over by MoMA: http://whitney.org/About/BreuerBuilding

[Seichi Tsutsumi]

The former Whitney building is now the Met Breuer, part of the MMA. The Whitney is now located in the Meat Packing District in a new building.

[Michael Perini]

The Whitney moved downtown to Gansevoort St in 2015, to a new building designed by Renzo Piano
There is a good overview on wikipedia

[hugh crawford]

The Whitney is now located at the southern end of the High Line between little west twelth street (not to be confused with wesr twelfth street two blocks to the south) and gansvoort street, in what used to be the meat packing district.

[hugh crawford]

Oh, and the Met has taken over the Whitney's old building.

[Peter]

Yeah, the old Whitney building on the upper east side is now part of the Met. The new Whitney, down in the meatpacking district by the Highline, is a very nice exhibition space, with nice outdoor (non-exhibition) areas off each of the top levels. They all have nice views, making for nice decompression areas -- to look off in the far distance -- between taking in the gallery exhibits.

[Benjamin Marks]

The "Whitney" (at least in its old location) is indeed no longer the Whitney. The museum is now in what used to be (may still be) eponymously called the "Meat Packing District."

The Whitney is now: 99 Gansevoort St, New York, NY 10014

FWIW, I always had a black mark in my heart for the Whitney as they made me hold my father's hand when visiting as a child. It was as if they thought I didn't or couldn't understand "do not touch" as a rule. Quite irrationally, I hold it against them to this day.

[toto]

The Whitney has moved downtown to a new building; the former Whitney is now the Met Breuer, an extension of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[Ned Bunnell]

I'm not a New Yorker, but I saw the Arbus exhibit at the Breuer last October.

https://instagram.com/p/BLwaKCUAaiX/

[robert e]

"Programming at the Breuer building concluded on October 20, 2014. The Whitney's new building at 99 Gansevoort Street opened on May 1, 2015."

http://whitney.org/About/History

[MarkB]

We're sorry. The museum you're trying to reach has been moved. This location is now the Met Breuer. Please check Google Maps and try again.

[JohnW]

http://whitney.org/About/NewBuilding

[Phil Stiles]

Whitney has moved downtown, to the Chelsea area.
"The Whitney's programming at the Breuer building concluded on October 20, 2014. After the opening of the Museum’s new building at 99 Gansevoort Street in 2015, the Metropolitan Museum of Art plans to present exhibitions and educational programming at the Whitney’s uptown building for a period of eight years, with the possibility of extending the agreement for a longer term."

[James]

From the Whitney history...
"The Whitney Museum of American Art was founded in 1930, and opened in 1931 on West Eighth Street in Greenwich Village.

The Museum moved to an expanded site on West 54th Street in 1954. Having outgrown that building by 1963, the Museum acquired its Marcel Breuer-designed building on Madison Avenue at 75th Street, which opened in 1966. Programming at the Breuer building concluded on October 20, 2014. The Whitney's new building at 99 Gansevoort Street opened on May 1, 2015."

I saw John Macenroe at the old Whitney in about 2006. I stayed a respectful distance: he was there with his family, enjoying the art just like I was. Several other fans rushed him and he appeared gracious and less annoyed than I was.

The new building looks pretty spanky. It'll probably be awhile before I make it there, sadly.
https://www.google.com/search?q=whitney+museum&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjE3piflu3SAhXG5CYKHTxzBD4Q_AUIBygC&biw=1371&bih=744#imgrc=_

The Met has agreed to present some programs at the old Breuer building for several years, and I hope they find some good use for it after that. http://whitney.org/MetCollaboration

[Victor Bloomfield]

Your old Whitney now belongs to the Metropolitan Museum, where they're planning to install their modern collection. The Whitney has a new building in lower Manhattan.
From their web site:
"Designed by architect Renzo Piano and situated between the High Line and the Hudson River, the Whitney's building in the Meatpacking District vastly increases the Museum’s exhibition and programming space, offering the most expansive display ever of its unsurpassed collection of modern and contemporary American art."

[John Shriver]

The Whitney Museum is now in a new Renzo Piano designed building in the former meatpacking district, along the High Line park. Much larger than the old Breuer building, which was just too small.

The old Whitney building (Marcel Breuer design) is now The Met Breuer, which is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's expansion into modern art. It may also be part of why the Met is in financial trouble.

[Ben Rothfeld]

The old Whitney is the Met Breuer. I believe they keep some of their newer collection there. The new Whitney is downtown in the Meatpacking, hard by the Highline.

[PaddyC]

Mike, the Whitney moved to a new building designed by Renzo Piano in 2015. It's at the southern end of the High Line in Greenwich Village.

Lovely building.

The Met moved into the Breuer building on a lease. The Met has got itself into a mess lately. You can catch up on that drama here:

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/03/thomas-campbell-met-director-exit

[Mahn England]

The Whitney is now the name given to the newest of Museum's buildings. It was designed by Renzo Piano.

The former Whitney, designed by Breuer, is now known simply as "the Breuer Building". As I live on the other side of the planet I don't if the Museum still uses the Breuer for exhibition.

[Steve Rosenbach]

Mike, the Whitney is now in a new building near the southern end of the High Line, in the old Meatpacking district. The address is 99 Gansevoort St.

[KERRY HAN]

The Whitney leased the landmark Marcel Breuer building to the Metropolitan Museum of Art after it moved to its new building in the "Meat-Packing" district of lower Manhattan. After some renovation and refreshing the Met re-opened the building with exhibitions of both contemporary art and more classic works of art. It's been a popular venue but the renovations cost the Met a pretty penny. Worth a visit if you are in NYC. The building looks physically the same inside and out.

[Daniel Speyer]

The story of the Whitney/Met Breuer is for me a depressing reality of culture not being valued. The new Whitney (IMO) is not a fine building, either visually as a whole or its galleries, and the area it is now in is (for lack of a better word/phrase) about nonculture. Other recent cases (vis-a-vis museums and public art, in NYC for this note) are MOMA, Guggenheim and Lincoln Center--and to lesser extent all the museums/institutions.

The most egregious are the Guggenheim, which attaches a box to what was arguably among the two or three finest sculptures (the museum building itself) in NYC to something less. And Lincoln Center takes what was also arguably one of the two or three finest sculptures in NYC (Moore's Reclining Figure) and destroys it by putting fake grass and an ugly restaurant as it's backdrop. At least the Breur building seems intact--only the occupant changed.

Speaking of the Met Breur, the exhibit of Daine Arbus photographs (in content) was unexpected/amazing--and added significantly to our appreciation/appraisal of her.

[Jeff]

I'm not a New Yorker, but apparently the District was the former site of Fort Gansevoort, named after Peter Gansevoort, a Colonel in the Revolutionary War. He was the maternal grandfather of Herman Melville.

[Sean]

The Whitney Biennial exhibit just opened last week as well and is getting rave reviews - if you're in town in the next few months, would be worth a visit to the new location.