FAQ

General 

What is the Whitney Museum of American Art? What will I see there?
The Whitney is the world’s preeminent institution devoted to collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and celebrating contemporary American art, with a particular focus on art of the 20th century and living artists. The Whitney’s gallery spaces—which span six floors of the Museum—hold exhibitions drawing from the Whitney’s permanent collection of over 20,000 works, or focused on living artists in all stages of their careers. Exhibitions feature paintings, prints, sculptures, video, digital art, and more. The Whitney also offers public programs, tours, all-ages art-making projects and more. 

The Whitney has over 20,000 works in its permanent collection, including pieces by Edward Hopper, Kara Walker, Georgia O’Keeffe, Kevin Beasley, Faith Ringgold, Lee Krasner, Jasper Johns, Alexander Calder, Jacob Lawrence, Carrie Mae Weems, Andrea Carlson, Clarissa Tossin, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and many more. To explore the collection online, visit whitney.org/collection.

Are there artworks by Edward Hopper on view? Where are they?
The Whitney has over 3,000 works by iconic artist Edward Hopper in its collection. A selection of works by Hopper is always on view as part of the Museum’s permanent collection show on the seventh floor. Currently, Hopper works on view include Early Sunday Morning and many other well-known works.

What should I see, where do I start? 
The Museum offers a “What to See at the Whitney” guide, with suggestions of what to view during a visit. While visitors should experience the Whitney in whatever way they want, here is a suggested itinerary:

• Start at the top on the eighth floor (don’t miss the views from the terrace) and use the stairs to work your way down floor by floor.
• On the seventh floor, don’t miss the Hoppers, and if you’re visiting with children, make sure to see Calder’s Circus.
• Floors 8, 7, 6, and 5 hold gallery spaces. Floor 4 is staff space not open to the public, and the third floor has a relatively small gallery space. 
• In the lobby, art is on view in the lobby gallery (on the east side of the lobby, near the restaurant). 
• For a rest, visit the Whitney’s ground floor restaurant, Frenchette Bakery at the Whitney.

What’s on view?
All current, upcoming, and past exhibitions are listed online. Please note that the Whitney institutes necessary floor closures between exhibitions. Please check whitney.org before you visit to best understand what will be available to see.

Where are the restrooms? 
There are restrooms on Floors -1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8. Check out the Museum map for more details. Accessible restrooms are located on Floors -1, 3, 7, and 8. Single user/all-gender restrooms are located on Floors -1, 3, and 8. 

Is there a public restroom?
No, although there is a restroom in the Museum’s ground floor restaurant, Frenchette Bakery at the Whitney. The restaurant is accessible without a ticket to the Museum, although the restroom is reserved for customers.

Do you have a coat check? Is it free?
Yes, the Museum offers a coat check on the -1 level (accessible via elevator or the central staircase) and it is free.

When are you free?
In addition to always-on free and discounted offerings (including visitors 18 and under always being free), the Museum is free to all visitors on Friday night from 5 to 10 pm and on the second Sunday of every month all day. While the Museum is free, tickets are still required, and capacity is limited. Advanced tickets are strongly recommended. More information on these programs.

Do I need a ticket for the terraces/How do I get to the terraces?
Visitors do need tickets to access the Museum’s terraces, which are located on Floors 5-8 on the east side of the Museum. 

Do I need an advance ticket/where do I get tickets/do I need a ticket for special exhibitions?
While walk-up tickets are available on a first come, first served basis, advanced tickets to the Whitney are highly recommended. No additional tickets are needed for special exhibitions; admission gains a visitor full access to the Museum. 

Is there a café?/Do I need to make a reservation?/Where should I eat near the museum (Neighborhood Discount Plug)? Can I pack a lunch for my family and eat it at the Museum?/Can I eat and drink in the galleries?
The Whitney offers a ground floor restaurant, Frenchette Bakery at the Whitney. The restaurant offers a grab-and-go bakery section and a sit-down cafe (currently, the cafe is first come, first served, although a reservation system will be enacted later in 2024). Additionally, discounts are available for Members and same-day ticket holders at a number of neighborhood establishments. Unfortunately, the Whitney does not offer space for visitors to eat food that they brought from outside the Museum. Food and drink are not permitted in the galleries.

Will there be tours/activities/etc.?
All tours, public programs, virtual programs, classes, and events can be found at whitney.org/events. 

How should I get to the Whitney? / Is there parking? / What’s the nearest bus/train? / Is it easy to get a cab from the Whitney? / Is the Museum entrance accessible?
Visitors can get to the Whitney in several different ways:

• The closest subway station is the A-C-E station at 14th Street and Eighth Avenue. 
• Cabs are readily available near the Whitney (the address is 99 Gansevoort Street). 
• The southern end of the High Line is on the same block as the Whitney, making it easy to walk to the Museum via the park. 
• There is extremely limited street parking and several parking lots around the Whitney. 
• The Museum entrance is accessible.

More information on how to get to the Whitney.

Is there a mobile guide?
There currently is a Whitney Mobile Guide that visitors can access for free on their own devices. It offers a wide range of content, including audio guides of exhibitions on view; interviews with artists, curators, and other thinkers; kids tours for six- to ten-year-olds; accessible content, including videos in American Sign Language (ASL); audio transcripts and sound descriptions; and select exhibition tours translated into Spanish. In addition to the mobile guide, there are often print guides available in the galleries, including children’s guides.

Is there information about the Museum in other languages?
The Museum offers a “plan your visit” page in Spanish, which lists events and tours in Spanish, as well as exhibitions with labels in Spanish. Additionally, the Whitney Mobile Guide offers some content in Spanish. 

Can I bring my stroller?
Strollers are permitted everywhere in the Museum but may not be left unattended or at coat check. During periods of high volume—such as Second Sundays at the Whitney—the Museum may offer special stroller-holding areas to help alleviate congestion. 

Are there places for me/my family members to sit/rest? / Do you have wheelchairs available?
Manual wheelchairs are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis at the admissions desk on Floor 1 or at the coat check. There are seating areas in the lobby and throughout the building.

Permanent Collection and Exhibitions

Where can I find out about past exhibitions?
Information on hundreds of past exhibitions are included in the exhibition archive. For more information on exhibitions held at the Whitney, you may consult the Exhibition Records Finding Aid, which covers shows at the Museum from 1931–2000.

Where can I find information regarding rights to reproduce works in the Whitney’s collection?
Please view the Rights & Reproductions page.

Does the museum review unsolicited artwork submissions?
Due to the high volume of correspondence we receive, the Whitney is unfortunately not able to receive or respond to unsolicited submissions. Please note that we cannot assume responsibility for or guarantee the return of any materials that are submitted.

Can I submit materials for consideration for the Biennial?
No, the Biennial is a curated exhibition, and thus there is no formal submission process.

How do I donate or see if the Museum is interested in purchasing works of art from my collection?
In order for the Museum to consider the work, please send a letter indicating your intention to offer the work as a gift or for sale, along with a reproduction of the piece, and detailed object information (artist, artist's dates, title, work date, process, dimensions, edition number, insurance value, and preferred donor credit information for the gift). We try to respond to every offer but due to the volume of correspondence we receive, it may not be possible to respond to each and every sale submission.

How can an institution request a loan from the Whitney's collection?
See Guidelines for Requesting Loans for an overview on our loan policy.

Where can I find a copy of the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Collection Management Policy?
See the Collections Management Policy.

Please send your letter to the Curator of the Permanent Collection, Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street, New York NY 10014.