Cultural Calendar for the Madison Avenue Art Museum
Its permanent collection may house over 19,000 works, but the Whitney Museum of American Art is also renowned for its temporary exhibitions. This is a space where living artists often get as much attention as the long-gone greats. There’s always something new at the Whitney. Here’s what’s happening in the first part of 2013:
Blue for Smoke (Until April 18)
You’ve still got time to catch the Whitney’s Blue for Smoke. This exhibition is all about exploring art through the lens of the blues. In this sense, the blues is not just a musical form, but an entire artistic and cultural genre. Highlight works of art include those by Mark Morrisroe and Beauford Delaney. Accompanying the exhibition is a series of concerts and readings that revolve around the blues genre. If you need any more encouragement to go, look to the Amsterdam News, which says, “There is such a bombardment of absolutely stunning paintings, installations, sculpture and visual presentations that it is difficult to tear yourself away until the moment is fully digested.”
Jay DeFeo: A Retrospective (Until June 2)
What brands itself the definitive DeFeo exhibition celebrates her unconventional approach that resulted in vibrant, sometimes outlandish pieces of art. Over 130 paintings, drawings, collages, photographs and sculptures are currently on display at the Whitney. While at the museum, don’t miss DeFeo’s seminal painting The Rose, which now graces the permanent collection. It took DeFeo eight years to finish, then spent 20 years hidden away behind a wall.
American Legends: From Calder to O’Keefe (Ongoing)
The Whitney’s collection is so vast that only selections of it can be shown at any one time. In the name of equity, the curatorial staff rotates certain artwork on an alphabetical basis. Right now, it’s the turn of Calder to O’Keefe. Other artists that have been slotted into this viewing include Oscar Bluemner, Ralston Crawford, Edward Hopper and Elie Nadelman.
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