Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection

Feb 10–May 1, 2011

A tree hangs upside down in a black and white photography.

Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection presents a selection of works from the historic gift of art pledged to the Whitney in May 2010 by longtime Museum trustee Emily Fisher Landau. Considered one of the preeminent collectors of postwar art in the United States, Emily Fisher Landau’s personal approach to collecting has long paralleled that of the Whitney, an institution similarly devoted to the art of its time. The exhibition traces many of the ideas that have preoccupied artists in the United States, particularly since the 1960s. Questions about the relevance of painting in the aftermath of Minimalism, debates about representation, “culture wars,” and a revived interest in personal narratives are explored in works by artists such as Carl Andre, John Baldessari, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Peter Hujar, Neil Jenney, Barbara Kruger, Robert Mapplethorpe, Agnes Martin, Richard Prince, Martin Puryear, Susan Rothenberg, Mark Tansey, and David Wojnarowicz. Also highlighted in Legacy are some of the artists that Emily Fisher Landau collected in depth—Richard Artschwager, Jasper Johns, and Ed Ruscha—a reflection of her longstanding relationships with artists and her commitment to collecting in depth.

Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection is organized by Donna De Salvo, the Whitney’s Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Programs, and David Kiehl, Nancy and Fred Poses Curator.

Artworks

A painting with the text "What this painting aims to do. It is only when you have been painting for quite some time that you will begin to realize that your compositions seem to lack impact-- that they are too ordinary. That is when you will start to break all the so-called rules of composition and to think in terms of design. Then you can distort shapes, invent forms, and be on your way toward being a creative artist." against a green background.

John Baldessari, What This Painting Aims to Do, 1967. Synthetic polymer and oil on canvas, 67 7/8 × 56 9/16 × 1 in. (172.4 × 143.7 × 2.5 cm). Promised gift of Emily Fisher Landau P.2010.24. Photograph by Tim Nighswander/Imaging4Art.com

Photo of a woman laying down with her hands behind her head.

Peter Hujar (1934–1987), Susan Sontag, 1975. Gelatin silver print, 14 15/16 × 14 15/16 in. (37.9 × 37.9 cm). Promised gift of the Fisher Landau Center for Art P.2010.313. Photograph by Tim Nighswander/Imaging4Art.com

Painting of a bird with a pencil beak and eraser tail.

Ed Ruscha (b.1937), Give Him Anything and He’ll Sign It, 1965. Oil on canvas, 57 1/2 × 55 1/4 in. (146.1 × 140.3 cm). Promised gift of Emily Fisher Landau P.2010.257 © Ed Ruscha; photograph courtesy of the artist

Two bouquets of flowers on a steel cable.

Nayland Blake (b. 1960), Double Feature Standards, 1991. Silk flowers, aluminum, two VHS tapes in plastic cases, steel cable, and rubber, 83 × 32 × 14 in. (210.8 × 81.3 × 35.6 cm) overall. Promised gift of Emily Fisher Landau P.2010.36a–e. © Nayland Blake; photograph by Tim Nighswander/Imaging4Art.com

Mark Tansey (b. 1949), Valley of Doubt, 1990. Oil on canvas, 87 3/4 × 144 3/8 in. (222.9 × 366.7 × 4.1 cm). Promised gift of Emily Fisher Landau P.2010.275. Photograph by Tim Nighswander/Imaging4Art.com

Nan Goldin, Self-Portrait with Milagro, The Lodge, Belmont, MA 1988, 1988. Silver dye bleach print, 27 3/8 x 40in. (69.5 x 101.6 cm). Edition no. 6/25. Promised gift of Emily Fisher Landau P.2010.87 © Nan Goldin/Courtesy of Matthew Marks Gallery, New York; photograph by Tim Nighswander/Imaging4Art

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Audio guides

This audio guide, introduced by Alice Pratt Brown Director Adam D. Weinberg, highlights a diverse range of works from the exhibition Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection. Artists John Baldessari, Gregory Crewdson, Eric Fischl, Jasper Johns, Glenn Ligon, and Mark Tansey provide additional commentary.

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