A pop still life of a bowl of fruit by Roy Lichtenstein

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

A pop still life of a bowl of fruit by Roy Lichtenstein

American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe
Dec 22, 2012–June 29, 2014

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.

Bank of America

Additional support for American Legends is provided by Susan R.Malloy, The Gage Fund, and Lynn G. Straus.

Artworks

A snowy scene of a tree and a cabin.

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

A snowy scene of a tree and a cabin.
Painting of trees and houses.

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

Painting of trees and houses.
Painting of men surrounding a man in pain.

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

Painting of men surrounding a man in pain.
Sailors and lovers in an abandoned park.

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.

Sailors and lovers in an abandoned park.
Circus sculpture by Alexander Calder.

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  On view

© 2009 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; photograph © Whitney Museum of American Art.

Circus sculpture by Alexander Calder.
Sketch of a face by Alexander Calder.

Alexander Calder, Varèse, c. 1930. Wire, 13 3/4 × 11 5/8 × 14 1/2 in. (34.9 × 29.5 × 36.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 50th Anniversary Gift of Mrs. Louise Varèse in honor of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney  80.25  

© 2009 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Sketch of a face by Alexander Calder.
Steel sculpture with red circles attached to it by Alexander Calder.

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

Steel sculpture with red circles attached to it by Alexander Calder.
Drawing of a circus performer by Alexander Calder.

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

Drawing of a circus performer by Alexander Calder.
A wooden bottle sculpture by Alexander Calder.

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

A wooden bottle sculpture by Alexander Calder.
Artwork of four wine glasses by Joseph Cornell.

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

Artwork of four wine glasses by Joseph Cornell.
Bold geometric oil painting of a steel foundry behind two fences and telephone poles.

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

Bold geometric oil painting of a steel foundry behind two fences and telephone poles.
A steel beam that held up the Third Avenue elevated subway line.

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

A steel beam that held up the Third Avenue elevated subway line.
A painting of a house and a street with buildings.

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

A painting of a house and a street with buildings.
Abstract artwork with a yellow background.

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  On view

Art © Estate of Stuart Davis / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Abstract artwork with a yellow background.
Large industrial building with rays of light crossing it.

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

Large industrial building with rays of light crossing it.
Artwork by Chares Demuth featuring people in a room.

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

Artwork by Chares Demuth featuring people in a room.
Painting by Edward Hopper. Painting of a woman in dress facing away from the viewer.

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

Painting by Edward Hopper. Painting of a woman in dress facing away from the viewer.
A man climbs up the steps beneath gravestones.

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

A man climbs up the steps beneath gravestones.
A painting of a man kneeling

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.


A painting of a man kneeling
A painting of three figures carrying large round objects up an incline.

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

A painting of three figures carrying large round objects up an incline.
Abstract art by Jacob Lawrence.

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  On view

© 2009 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Abstract art by Jacob Lawrence.
Abstract artwork of soldiers by Jacob Lawrence.

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  On view

© 2009 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Abstract artwork of soldiers by Jacob Lawrence.
Soldiers and guns in an abstract painting by Jacob Lawrence.

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

Soldiers and guns in an abstract painting by Jacob Lawrence.
A soldier with a helmet and a gun bending over.

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

A soldier with a helmet and a gun bending over.
A group of people on the beach.

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

A group of people on the beach.
A sculpture of a man and woman dancing.

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

A sculpture of a man and woman dancing.
A painting of an animal skull in the sky above flowers and desert landscape.

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

A painting of an animal skull in the sky above flowers and desert landscape.
Up close of a flower painting by Georgia O'Keeffe.

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  On view

© 2009 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Up close of a flower painting by Georgia O'Keeffe.
Painting of an amusement park.

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

Painting of an amusement park.

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

An animal sits at the center of an abstract artwork.

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

An animal sits at the center of an abstract artwork.
A river scene with a reflection of trees.

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

A river scene with a reflection of trees.
A shirtless man poses in painting with a red background.

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

A shirtless man poses in painting with a red background.
Plants and flowers next to a fence and house.

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

Plants and flowers next to a fence and house.
Man in a suit with a hat looks out.

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

Man in a suit with a hat looks out.
A woman in a had and dress standing outside in a doorway.

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

A woman in a had and dress standing outside in a doorway.

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

Abstract art depicting Brooklyn.

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

Abstract art depicting Brooklyn.
Abstract art by Stuart Davis.

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

Abstract art by Stuart Davis.
Newspaper collage of a man in a top hat.

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

Newspaper collage of a man in a top hat.
Drawing of a circus scene.

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  On view

© 2010 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Drawing of a circus scene.
A painting of black, yellow, red, and white lines and rectangles.

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

A painting of black, yellow, red, and white lines and rectangles.
A man sitting on the edge of a bed.

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  On view

© Eggleston Artistic Trust, courtesy Cheim & Read, NYC

A man sitting on the edge of a bed.
Three people in a supermarket aisle.

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  On view

Three people in a supermarket aisle.
Black and white abstract art by Georgia O'Keeffe.

Georgia O’Keeffe, No. 8—Special (Drawing No. 8), 1916. Charcoal on paper mounted on cardboard, 24 1/4 × 18 7/8 in. (61.6 × 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  On view

© 2009 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Black and white abstract art by Georgia O'Keeffe.
Hopper's iconic painting of empty street scene.

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

Hopper's iconic painting of empty street scene.
Three American flags on top of each other.

Jasper Johns, Three Flags, 1958. Encaustic on canvas, 30 5/8 x 45 1/2 x 4 5/8 in. (77.8 x 115.6 x 11.7 cm). 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. © Jasper Johns / VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

Three American flags on top of each other.
A Pop art painting of a woman smiling through a window.

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

A Pop art painting of a woman smiling through a window.

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

Artists

Oscar Bluemner
Charles Burchfield
Paul Cadmus
Alexander Calder
Joseph Cornell
Ralston Crawford
Stuart Davis
Charles Demuth
Burgoyne Diller
Arthur Dove
William Eggleston
Morris Graves
Marsden Hartley
Edward Hopper
Jasper Johns
Ellsworth Kelly
Gaston Lachaise
Jacob Lawrence
Roy Lichtenstein
John Marin
Reginald Marsh
Elie Nadelman
Alice Neel
Georgia O'Keeffe
Joseph Stella

Events

View all

Whitney Stories
American Legends: Common Threads across Generations

Read more

Audio Guides

A pop still life of a bowl of fruit by 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.

Listen now

Installation Photography

A sculpture through a door and two paintings on the wall.

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

A sculpture through a door and two paintings on the wall.
Paintings on the walls of a gallery with a sculpture through a door in another gallery.

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

Paintings on the walls of a gallery with a sculpture through a door in another gallery.
Paintings on the wall of the Whitney Museum.

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

Paintings on the wall of the Whitney Museum.
Paintings on the wall of a gallery.

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

Paintings on the wall of a gallery.
Sculptures and paintings in an art gallery with white walls.

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

Sculptures and paintings in an art gallery with white walls.
Four sculptures in a gallery with white walls.

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

Four sculptures in a gallery with white walls.
A bench in an art gallery with paintings on the wall.

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

A bench in an art gallery with paintings on the wall.
A gallery with paintings on white walls and a bench in the middle.

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

A gallery with paintings on white walls and a bench in the middle.
A bench in the middle of a gallery with paintings on the wall.

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

A bench in the middle of a gallery with paintings on the wall.
Painting on the wall of a gallery at the Whitney.

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

Painting on the wall of a gallery at the Whitney.

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

Sunrise

Sunset

A 30-second online art project:
LaTurbo Avedon, Morning Mirror / Evening Mirror

Learn more

Face coverings are still required, even for vaccinated visitors. Learn more about the Whitney’s safety guidelines.