Positioned at the foot of the High Line in the Meatpacking District, the new Whitney Museum is New York City's newest world class cultural destination in one of the city's most dynamic and distinctive locations.
I visited the Whitney Museum of American Art yesterday on Gansvoort Street and the new building is absolutely inspirational. Designed by Renzo Piano, this world class venue is nine floors and over 200,000 square feet. In addition, there is 13,000 square feet of outdoor exhibition space with a series of rooftops facing the High Line. The new museum is the result of an extensive partnership between the City of New York and The Whitney. And the Gansevoort Meat Market, a cooperative of independently owned businesses that specialize in wholesale distribution and processing of meat is one of the most historic areas of New York. When the High Line was built on top of a 1930's freight railway, new galleries, public gardens and lots of great restaurants and boutique shops made this area bloom. It is now a major cultural destination when visiting New York and I think, great fun for people watching on the ground or while strolling the High Line.
The Whitney's collection of American Art is the finest in the world and it's former space, on 76th and Madison was designed in 1963 by Marcel Breuer. Sargent, Hopper, Pollack, Krasner, Bellows, Shahn and Warhol are just a few of the artists whose most iconic works are here. But the space was just not large enough to display it this collection of masterpieces, which grew from it's original endowment of American paintings owned by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.
The Museum has always been my favorite in New York, and I can't wait to go back. We were only able to cover the 6th, 7th and 8th floors yesterday so I intend to return in the fall to enjoy the rest. And, visiting the Meatpacking District is always a treat, as parking is actually affordable!!!
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