American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe
Dec 22, 2012–June 29, 2014
Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), Still Life with Crystal Bowl, 1972. Oil and acrylic on canvas, 52 × 42 in. (132.1 × 106.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, purchase, with funds from Frances and Sydney Lewis 77.64. © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein
American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe showcases the Whitney’s holdings of artwork from the first half of the twentieth century alongside that of postwar figures. The exhibition includes work by thirteen leading artists: Alexander Calder, Stuart Davis, Burgoyne Diller, William Eggleston, Morris Graves, Edward Hopper, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Jacob Lawrence, Roy Lichtenstein, Elie Nadelman, Alice Neel, and Georgia O’Keeffe. One- and two-artist presentations provide a survey of each artist’s work across a range of media.
American Legends is organized by Barbara Haskell, Curator.
Ongoing support for the permanent collection and major support for American Legends: From Calder to O'Keeffe is provided by Bank of America.
Additional support for American Legends is provided by Susan R.Malloy, The Gage Fund, and Lynn G. Straus.
Artworks
Oscar Bluemner, Last Evening of the Year, c. 1929. Oil on board mounted on wood, 13 3/4 × 9 3/4 in. (34.9 × 24.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art; gift of Juliana Force 31.115
Oscar Bluemner, A Situation in Yellow, 1933. Oil on canvas, 36 × 50 1/2 in. (91.4 × 128.3 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Nancy and Harry L. Koenigsberg 67.66
Paul Cadmus, To the Lynching!, 1935. Graphite and watercolor on paper, 23 1/2 × 18 in. (59.7 × 45.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase 36.32
Paul Cadmus, Sailors and Floosies, 1938. Oil and tempera on linen mounted on composition board, with wood frame, 33 11/16 × 48 1/2 in. (85.6 × 123.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Malcolm S. Forbes 64.42a–b Art © Jon F. Anderson, Estate of Paul Cadmus / Licensed by VAGA, New York, N.Y.
Alexander Calder, Calder’s Circus, 1926–31. Wire, wood, metal, cloth, yarn, paper, cardboard, leather, string, rubber tubing, corks, buttons, rhinestones, pipe cleaners, and bottle caps, 54 × 94 1/4 × 94 1/4 in. (137.2 × 239.4 × 239.4 cm) overall, dimensions variable. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from a public fundraising campaign in May 1982. One half the funds were contributed by the Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Charitable Trust. Additional major donations were given by The Lauder Foundation, the Robert Lehman Foundation Inc., the Howard and Jean Lipman Foundation Inc., an anonymous donor, The T. M. Evans Foundation Inc., MacAndrews & Forbes Group Incorporated, the DeWitt Wallace Fund Inc., Martin and Agneta Gruss, Anne Phillips, Mr. and Mrs. Laurance S. Rockefeller, the Simon Foundation Inc., Marylou Whitney, Bankers Trust Company, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth N. Dayton, Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz, Irvin and Kenneth Feld, Flora Whitney Miller. More than 500 individuals from 26 states and abroad also contributed to the campaign 83.36.1-95
© 2009 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; photograph © Whitney Museum of American Art.
Alexander Calder (1898-1976), Varèse, c. 1930. Wire, 15 × 11 3/4 × 12 1/2 in. (38.1 × 29.8 × 31.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 50th Anniversary Gift of Mrs. Louise Varèse in honor of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 80.25 © Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Alexander Calder, Object with Red Discs, 1931. Painted steel rod, wire, wood, and sheet aluminum, 88 1/2 × 33 × 47 1/2 in. (224.8 × 83.8 × 120.7 cm) overall. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Mrs. Percy Uris Purchase Fund 86.49a-c
© 2009 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Alexander Calder, Juggler with Dog, 1931. Pen and ink on paper, 22 3/4 × 30 13/16 in. (57.8 × 78.3 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Howard and Jean Lipman 81.23.2
© 2009 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Alexander Calder, Wooden Bottle with Hairs, 1943. Wood and wire, 22 3/8 × 13 × 12 in. (56.8 × 33 × 30.5 cm) overall. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 50th Anniversary Gift of the Howard and Jean Lipman Foundation, Inc. 80.28.2a-l
© 2009 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Joseph Cornell, Celestial Navigation, c. 1958. Box construction with wood, glasses, marbles, plaster head, painted cork ball, metal rods, nails, paper collage, tempera, and painted glass, 9 5/8 × 16 1/4 × 4 in. (24.5 × 41.3 × 10.2 cm) overall. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 60th Anniversary Gift of Estée Lauder Inc. 92.24a-k
Art © The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Ralston Crawford, Steel Foundry, Coatesville, Pa., 1936–37. Oil on canvas, 32 × 40 in. (81.3 × 101.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase 37.10
Ralston Crawford, Third Avenue Elevated, 1949. Gelatin silver print, 9 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (24.1 × 16.5 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Robert F. Crawford 88.52
Stuart Davis, House and Street, 1931. Oil on canvas, 26 1/8 x 42 1/8 in. (66.4 x 107 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase 41.3. © Estate of Stuart Davis/Licensed by VAGA, New York
Stuart Davis, Owh! in San Paõ, 1951. Oil on canvas, 52 1/4 × 41 3/4 in. (132.7 × 106 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase 52.2
Art © Estate of Stuart Davis / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Charles Demuth, My Egypt, 1927. Oil and graphite pencil on fiberboard, 35 3/4 × 30 in. (90.81 x 76.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Purchase, with funds from Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 31.172
Charles Demuth, Distinguished Air, 1930. Watercolor and graphite on paper, 16 1/4 × 12 3/16 in. (41.3 × 31 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Friends of the Whitney Museum of American Art and Charles Simon 68.16
Edward Hopper, New York Interior, c. 1921. Oil on canvas, Overall: 24 1/4 × 29 1/4 in. (61.6 × 74.3cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.1200. © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Jacob Lawrence, Tombstones, 1942. Gouache on paper, 30 7/8 × 22 13/16 in. (78.4 × 57.9 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase 43.14
© 2010 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Jacob Lawrence, The Letter, 1946-47. Tempera on composition board, 20 1/4 × 16 1/8in. (51.4 × 41 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Roy R. Neuberger 51.11 © 2017 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Jacob Lawrence, War Series: Another Patrol, 1946. Tempera on composition board. 16 1/8 × 20 1/4 in. (41 × 51.4 cm) Image: 15 7/8 × 20 × 1/8 in. (40.3 × 50.8 × 0.3 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Roy R. Neuberger 51.8 © artist or artist’s estate
Jacob Lawrence, War Series: Alert, 1947. Egg tempera on composition board, 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Roy R. Neuberger 51.9
© 2009 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Jacob Lawrence, War Series: Beachhead, 1947. Egg tempera on composition board, 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Roy R. Neuberger 51.13
© 2009 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Jacob Lawrence, War Series: Shipping Out, 1947. Egg tempera on composition board, 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Roy R. Neuberger 51.7. © 2009 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Jacob Lawrence, War Series: Victory, 1947. Tempera on composition board, 20 1/4 × 16 3/16 in. (51.4 × 41.1 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Roy R. Neuberger 51.19 © 2017 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation, Seattle/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY
Reginald Marsh, Negroes on Rockaway Beach, 1934. Egg tempera on composition board, 30 × 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Hackett 61.2
© 2010 Estate of Reginald Marsh / Art Students League, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Elie Nadelman, Tango, 1920–24. Painted cherry wood and gesso, three units, 35 7/8 × 26 × 13 7/8 in. (91.1 × 66 × 35.2 cm) overall. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Mr. and Mrs. Arthur G. Altschul Purchase Fund, the Joan and Lester Avnet Purchase Fund, the Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch Purchase Fund, the Mrs. Robert C. Graham Purchase Fund in honor of John I.H. Baur, the Mrs. Percy Uris Purchase Fund, and the Henry Schnakenberg Purchase Fund in honor of Juliana Force 88.1a-c
Georgia O’Keeffe, Summer Days, 1936. Oil on canvas, 36 1/8 × 30 1/8 in. (91.8 × 76.5 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Calvin Klein 94.171. © The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Georgia O’Keeffe, Flower Abstraction, 1924. Oil on canvas, 48 × 30 in. (121.9 × 76.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 50th Anniversary Gift of Sandra Payson 85.47
© 2009 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Joseph Stella, Luna Park, c. 1913. Oil on composition board, 17 1/2 × 23 3/8 in. (44.5 x 59.4 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Mrs. Charles A. Goldberg 72.147
Joseph Stella, The Brooklyn Bridge: Variation on an Old Theme, 1939. Oil on canvas, overall: 70 1/4 × 42 3/16 in. (178.4 × 107.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Purchase 42.15
Marsden Hartley, Forms Abstracted, 1913. Oil on canvas, 39 1/2 × 31 3/4 in. (100.3 x 80.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Hudson D. Walker and exchange 52.37
Marsden Hartley, Robin Hood Cove, Georgetown, Maine, 1938. Oil on board, 21 3/4 × 25 7/8 in. (55.3 × 65.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 50th Anniversary Gift of Ione Walker in memory of her husband, Hudson D. Walker 87.63
Marsden Hartley, Madawaska, Acadian Light-Heavy, Third Arrangement, 1940. Oil on masonite, 27 7/8 × 21 1/2 in. (70.8 × 54.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Nina and Herman Schneider, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Dr. Meyer A. Pearlman and Purchase by exchange, and the Director’s Discretionary Acquisition Fund 2005.89
Charles Burchfield, Noontide in Late May, 1917. Watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper, 22 × 18 in. (55.9 × 45.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase 31.408
All works by Charles Burchfield are reproduced with permission of the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation
Edward Hopper (1882-1967), Self-Portrait, 1925-30. Oil on canvas, 25 3/8 × 20 3/8 in. (64.5 × 51.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Josephine N. Hopper Bequest 70.1165 © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Edward Hopper (1882–1967), South Carolina Morning, 1955. Oil on canvas, 30 9/16 × 40 1/4 in. (77.6 × 102.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; given in memory of Otto L. Spaeth by his Family 67.13 © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Georgia O'Keeffe, Music, Pink and Blue No. 2, 1918. Oil on canvas, 35 x 29 15/16 in. (88.9 x 76 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Emily Fisher Landau in honor of Tom Armstrong 91.90. © The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
John Marin, Region of Brooklyn Bridge Fantasy, 1932. Watercolor on paper, 22 × 28 3/16 in. (55.9 × 71.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase 49.8
© 2009 Estate of John Marin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Stuart Davis, Egg Beater No. 1, 1927. Oil on canvas, 29 1/8 × 36 in. (74 × 91.4 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 31.169 On view Art © Estate of Stuart Davis / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Arthur Dove, The Critic, 1925. Collaged paper, newspaper, fabric, cord, glass, pencil, and watercolor on board, 19 1/2 × 13 × 2 1/4 in. (49.5 × 33 × 5.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Historic Art Association of the Whitney Museum of American Art, Mr. and Mrs. Morton L. Janklow, the Howard and Jean Lipman Foundation Inc., and Hannelore Schulhof 76.9 © The Estate of Arthur G. Dove
Alexander Calder, Tumbler on Swing, 1931. Pen and ink on paper, 30 1/2 × 22 1/2 in. (77.5 × 57.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Howard and Jean Lipman 81.23.4
© 2010 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Burgoyne Diller, Third Theme, 1946–48. Oil on canvas, 42 × 42 in. (106.7 × 106.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of May Walter 58.58
William Eggleston, Huntsville, Alabama, 1971, from William Eggleston’s Guide, 1976. Chromogenic print, 18 1/4 × 12 3/4 in. (46.4 × 32.4 cm). Edition no. 3/20. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Virginia M. Zabriskie 91.100.3
© Eggleston Artistic Trust, courtesy Cheim & Read, NYC
William Eggleston, Untitled (Grocery Store), c.1965-1974. Dye transfer print. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from Marcia Dunn and Jonathan Sobel 2009.101
Georgia O'Keeffe (1887–1986), No. 8 - Special (Drawing No. 8), 1916. Charcoal on paper, 24 1/2 x 18 7/8 in. (62.2 x 47.9 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Mr. and Mrs. Arthur G. Altschul Purchase Fund 85.52. © 2018 The Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Edward Hopper, Early Sunday Morning, 1930. Oil on canvas, 35 3/16 × 60 1/4 in. (89.4 × 153 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 31.426. © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Jasper Johns, Three Flags, 1958. Encaustic on canvas (three panels), 30 7/8 × 45 3/4 in. (78.4 × 116.2 cm) overall. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Gilman Foundation, Inc., The Lauder Foundation, A. Alfred Taubman, Laura-Lee Whittier Woods, Howard Lipman, and Ed Downe in honor of the Museum’s 50th Anniversary 80.32. © 2021 Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Roy Lichtenstein, Girl in Window (Study for World’s Fair Mural), 1963. Oil on canvas, 68 3/16 × 56 1/8 in. (173.2 × 142.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of The American Contemporary Art Foundation Inc., Leonard A. Lauder, President 2002.254. © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein
Alice Neel, Andy Warhol, 1970. Oil and acrylic on linen, 60 × 40 in. (152.4 × 101.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Timothy Collins 80.52 © The Estate of Alice Neel
Events
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Wed,
July 16
Member Preview Day
12–6 pm
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Sat,
May 17
Member Saturday Night
6:30–8:30 pm
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Sat,
Mar 15
Member Saturday Night
6:30–8:30 pm
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Fri,
Feb 28
Teen Event:
Clash of the Legends4:30–6:30 pm
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Mon,
Feb 10
Special Tour: American Legends Reimagined
7 pm
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Sat,
Feb 8
Family Fun Art Workshop: Communicating Character
1:30–3:30 pm
Audio Guides
Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), Still Life with Crystal Bowl, 1972. Oil and acrylic on canvas, 52 × 42 in. (132.1 × 106.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, purchase, with funds from Frances and Sydney Lewis 77.64. © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein
This audio guide highlights selected works by artists in American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe. Curators, scholars, and artists provide additional commentary.
Installation Photography
Installation view of American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 22, 2012–December 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins
Installation view of American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 22, 2012–December 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins
Installation view of American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 22, 2012–December 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins
Installation view of American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 22, 2012–December 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins
Installation view of American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 22, 2012–December 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins
Installation view of American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 22, 2012–December 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins
Installation view of American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 22, 2012–December 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins
Installation view of American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 22, 2012–December 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins
Installation view of American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 22, 2012–December 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins
Installation view of American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 22, 2012–December 2013). Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins
In the News
"The Whitney Museum is New York’s go-to institution for the crazy-quilt history of early- and mid-20th-century American art, and its new permanent-collection display, American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe, is one of its best in years."
—The New York Times
"Ranging from Edward Hopper’s melancholia to the sensuous work of Georgia O’Keeffe, the exhibition offers an extraordinarily wide view of 20th-century American art before Abstract Expressionism."
—Bloomberg Businessweek