Library
The Frances Mulhall Achilles Library at the Whitney Museum of American Art contains a comprehensive research collection in the field of twentieth-century and contemporary American art. It was originally built on the foundation of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s personal collection of books and papers.
The Library provides researchers a gateway for easy access to a wide range of research materials through the electronic catalog, WhitneyCat, which contains the bibliography of the Whitney’s reference collection of over 40,000 books, exhibition catalogs, and periodical titles. In addition, the Library’s holdings include the Special Collections, vertical files, and the Museum Archives.
access to the collections
The Library has reopened in the West Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. It is open daily to Whitney staff and offers limited Library access to Whitney Museum members, visiting art historians, PhD candidates, graduate students, gallery staff, and other high level researchers interested in the Museum, its history, exhibitions, permanent collections and artists.
Please visit WhitneyCat, the Library’s online catalogue, to search records of our print and non-print items. Researchers may schedule an appointment by calling (212) 570-3648 or emailing a brief request to library@whitney.org.
