NEW YORK, NY.- Much has changed in New York City in the nearly 100 years since the
Whitney Museum of American Art launched its landmark exhibition, while some things have remained the same.
The inaugural Whitney Bienniala survey of contemporary American artopened on November 22, 1932, and featured several works that highlighted life in New York City, including Edward Hoppers now iconic painting Room in New York and works by artists Joseph Stella, Florine Stettheimer, and George C. Ault, among others.
To mark the latest edition of the BiennialWhitney Biennial 2024: Even Better Than The Real Thing, on view at the Museum (99 Gansevoort Street in Manhattan) until August 11the Whitney partnered with architectural photographer Max Touhey to determine the exact locations of many New York City scenes depicted in 1932 Biennial artworks and recreate them. The results show a changing NYC and showcase the longevity of the Biennial, the longest-running survey of American art that, since its beginning, has spotlighted many of the most relevant ideas and artists of the time.
Each location will be included in a digital map launching today at whitney.org/map and next week via Whitneys guide on the Bloomberg Connects app. The projectcalled Putting Artists on The Mapshowcases the long history of the Whitney Biennial in New York City and invites viewers to discover the locations of Biennial artist studios, NYC spots depicted by Biennial artists, NY subway stations that include artworks by Biennial artists as part of the MTAs Art and Design program, and much more.
The Biennial has been part of the Whitneyand New York Cityfor nearly a century, and every iteration offers the opportunity to bring new voices to the fore, said the Museums Nancy and Steve Crown Family Chief Curator Kim Conaty. Just as the 1932 edition gave us contemporary reflections by the likes of Hopper and Stettheimer, todays Biennial artists are helping to shape the landscape of tomorrow.
Side-by-side comparisons of NYC locations that the Museum was able to recreate from artworks in the 1932 Biennial include:
George C. Ault, Hudson Street (northwest view of Hudson and Gansevoort Streets). This work is in the Whitneys collection and is currently on view on the seventh floor.
Francis Criss, Astor Place (south-facing view of E 9th St and Lafayette Street). This work is in the Whitneys collection.
David Morrison, Union Sqaure (northeast view of 14th St and Broadway).
John Cunning, Sunset, New York Bay (southwest view from 110 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn)
Kenneth Frazier, The Leviathan Goes to Sea (southwest view from Broadway and Exchange Place)
Edward Laning, Fourteenth Street (east-facing view of 14th St at Sixth Avenue). This work is in the Whitneys collection.
The Museum also recreated the view of the original Whitney Museum at 10 West 8th Street, which graced the cover of the 1932 Biennial catalog.