Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
1875–1942
As a daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the richest man in the United States at the turn of the century, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was born into tremendous wealth and privilege. She defied social expectations, however, by becoming a sculptor and the foremost patron of American art in the early twentieth century— activities that ultimately would lead her to found the Whitney Museum. Not long after marrying Harry Payne Whitney, scion of one of New York’s wealthiest families, she embarked on art studies and later rented a studio in New York’s Greenwich Village, far from uptown society, to begin working as a sculptor. Whitney received several major public commissions during her lifetime, including a memorial to the Titanic victims in Washington, DC; a World War I memorial in Brittany, France; and a monument to William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody in Cody, Wyoming.
Chinoise, one of her early successes, is a more intimate and personal work. As an antidote to the highly prescribed confines of her life as a socialite, Whitney loved to dress up in elaborate and fanciful costumes by designers such as Léon Bakst. In Chinoise she commemorates this pastime, depicting herself in a flowing Asian-style robe, her gaze serene as she stands atop a lotus blossom. This whimsical self-portrait was displayed prominently in the Whitney Museum after it opened to the public in 1931. Over time, the sculpture became a kind of personal emblem— indeed, so closely associated with her that Florine Stettheimer included it in her iconic 1942 painting The Cathedrals of Art as a ghostly symbol of Whitney, who died the same year.
Introduction
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (January 9, 1875 – April 18, 1942) was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, who was born into the wealthy Vanderbilt family and married into the Whitney family.
Wikidata identifier
Q271910
Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License . Accessed May 22, 2025.
Introduction
Patron and noted sculptor. Founder of the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City, opened in 1930 after donating 700 works of art from her own collection. As a patron of the arts,promoted the advancement of women in art.
Country of birth
United States
Roles
Artist, collector, founder, patron, sculptor
ULAN identifier
500014661
Names
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney, Gertrude Vanderbilt, Gertrude Whitney
Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed May 22, 2025.
