David Whitney

David Whitney (1939 – June 12, 2005) was an American art curator, collector, gallerist and critic. He led a very private life and was not well known outside the art world, even though he participated naked in the 1965 Claes Oldenburg happening Washes. He was the life partner of architect Philip Johnson (1906–2005) for 45 years until their deaths five months apart. He was also a close friend of Andy Warhol.

For other uses, see David Whitney (disambiguation).

Early life and education

Whitney, the son of a banker, was raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, and attended the Loomis Institute and Woodstock Country School before studying architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating with a BFA in Interior Architecture in 1963.[1][2] Whitney was educated at Imperial College, London.

Career

During the early to mid-1960s, Whitney had a variety of roles in the contemporary art world. Early jobs at the Museum of Modern Art and several art galleries, including the Green Gallery and the Leo Castelli Gallery, led to him opening his own gallery in 1969.[3][4] Some of the artists that exhibited at the David Whitney Gallery from September 1969 through March 1972 (when the gallery closed) included Neil Jenney, Jasper Johns, Ronnie Landfield, Ken Price, William Pettet, Lewis Stein, Gary Stephan, Kenneth Showell, Lawrence Stafford, and John Duff.[5] The David Whitney Gallery featured Lyrical Abstraction, Post-minimalism and other current movements of the period[6][7]

After his gallery years, he organized exhibitions at the Whitney Museum and elsewhere for Cy Twombly, Jasper Johns, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning and Andy Warhol.[8] Whitney was also an early member of the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board.[9]

Later, he focused on younger artists such as Michael Heizer, Eric Fischl, and David Salle.[1]

Personal life

While a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, Whitney attended a lecture by Johnson at nearby Brown University and approached the architect afterwards, asking for a tour of the Glass House. Their relationship began soon after, and Whitney moved in with Johnson after graduating from college.[10]

Whitney died at age 66 on June 12, 2005, at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital, of lung and bone cancer.[10]

Whitney bequeathed his estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which ultimately raised over $13 million in funds directed specifically to the endowment of the Glass House for its maintenance and operations. In addition, he bequeathed forty-four artworks to the Menil Collection, including 17 drawings by Jasper Johns, Whitney's art library, and his curatorial papers.[11]

References
  1. Kennedy, Randy (14 June 2005). "David Whitney, 66, Renowned Art Collector, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  2. "David Whitney | The Glass House". theglasshouse.org. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  3. Pollock, Lindsay. "David Whitney's Collection, Warhol to Spatterware, to Be Sold". September 8, 2006. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  4. La Prade Eric. Breaking Through: Richard Bellamy and the Green Gallery, 1960-1965: Twenty-Three Interviews, Midmarch Arts Press, 2009 ISBN 978-1-877675-78-2
  5. "David Whitney".
  6. David Bourdon, Life Magazine May 1970, Whats Up in Art, The Castelli Clan, David Whitney Gallery and Lyrical Abstraction, Retrieved June 9, 2010
  7. Glass House history chapter 1 Archived 2011-10-11 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "DAVID WHITNEY OBITUARY". 2005. Warholstars. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  9. Shnayerson, Michael (2003). "Judging Andy". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
  10. Kennedy, Randy (2005-06-14). "David Whitney, 66, Renowned Art Collector, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  11. "David Whitney". The Glass House. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
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