Whitney Biennial 2002

Mar 7–May 26, 2002

Cover for 2002 Biennial catalogue
Cover for 2002 Biennial catalogue

Cover for 2002 Biennial catalogue

The Whitney Biennial 2002 was curated by Lawrence R. Rinder, Chrissie Iles, Christiane Paul, and Debra Singer.

Explore the archival microsite

View the full exhibition catalogue at the Internet Archive.




Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection

View 34 works

In the News

“[The 2002 Whitney Biennial] has been called noble, eclectic, generous and inclusive—not inaccurate characterizations from certain angles. But the latest version of this major showcase of American art is also bleak, pious, naïve, monotonous, isolated and isolating.” —The New York Times

“The main thing this biennial has going for it [. . .] is a point of view—idiosyncratic, hermetic, even kooky though it may be—that makes the show read a bit like a loose, discursive essay.” —The New York Times

“The Whitney Museum, for the duration of the 2002 Biennial, is a place not only to look but also to listen.” —The New York Times

“The Whitney Museum’s 2002 Biennial exhibition [. . .] has for the first time in more than 70 years opened its arms wide enough to include architecture.” —The New York Times

“The notion of an art world run by a command central is arrière-garde by now. And anyway—bottom line—after all the biennial words are in, it’s artists who matter and have the answers, and there are some good ones at the Whitney.” —The New York Times

“. . . net-based works have again featured prominently in [the Whitney’s] Biennial . . .” —The Guardian

“. . . the curators [. . .] managed, apparently by accident, to make one single crucial point: There is no such thing as American art. Maybe there never was.” —The Washington Post

“. . . filled with slight art, undemonstrative art, and casual art that borrows subjects from everyday life without making a lot of fuss. The art at the Whitney, as engaging and often as shallow as television commercials, was mostly as charming and sentimental as old Hollywood movies.” —The Burlington Magazine


More from this series

Learn more about the Whitney Biennial, the longest-running survey of American art.


On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

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