Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection
Feb 10–May 1, 2011
Rodney Graham (b. 1949), Oak, Middle Aston, 1990, from the portfolio Oxfordshire Oaks, Fall 1990, 1990. Chromogenic print, 90 5/16 x 71 3/8 in. (229.4 x 181.3 cm). Promised gift of Emily Fisher Landau P.2010.94 © Rodney Graham; photograph byTim Nighswander/Imaging4Art.com
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Artists
- Carl Andre
- Richard Artschwager
- John Baldessari
- Matthew Barney
- Nayland Blake
- Peter Cain
- Keith Cottingham
- Gregory Crewdson
- Lynn Davis
- Willem de Kooning
- Philip-Lorca diCorcia
- John Dugdale
- Carroll Dunham
- William Eggleston
- Eric Fischl
- Robert Gober
- Nan Goldin
- Felix Gonzalez-Torres
- Rodney Graham
- Keith Haring
- Jenny Holzer
- Peter Hujar
- Michael Hurson
- Neil Jenney
- Jasper Johns
- Joseph Kosuth
- Barbara Kruger
- Annette Lemieux
- Sherrie Levine
- Glenn Ligon
- Robert Longo
- Vera Lutter
- Robert Mapplethorpe
- Agnes Martin
- John McLaughlin
- Abelardo Morell
- Shirin Neshat
- Georgia O'Keeffe
- Richard Prince
- Martin Puryear
- James Rosenquist
- Susan Rothenberg
- Allen Ruppersberg
- Edward Ruscha
- Victoria Sambunaris
- Lorna Simpson
- Kiki Smith
- Hiroshi Sugimoto
- Mark Tansey
- Al Taylor
- Cy Twombly
- Andy Warhol
- David Wojnarowicz
Events
View all-
Member Preview Day: Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
12–6 pm -
Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection
Friday, February 25, 2011
12–1 pm -
Whitney Wees: Looking at Lines
Saturday, March 5, 2011
10:30–11:30 am -
Family Fun Art Workshop: Working with Words
Saturday, March 5, 2011
10:30 am–12:30 pm
Audio guides
Rodney Graham (b. 1949), Oak, Middle Aston, 1990, from the portfolio Oxfordshire Oaks, Fall 1990, 1990. Chromogenic print, 90 5/16 x 71 3/8 in. (229.4 x 181.3 cm). Promised gift of Emily Fisher Landau P.2010.94 © Rodney Graham; photograph byTim Nighswander/Imaging4Art.com
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.