Sinister Pop
Nov 15, 2012–Mar 31, 2013
Sinister Pop presents an inventive take on the Museum’s rich and diverse holdings of Pop art from the movement’s inception in the early 1960s through its aftershocks a decade later. Although Pop art often calls to mind a celebration of postwar consumer culture, this exhibition focuses on Pop’s darker side, as it distorts and critiques the American dream. Themes of exaggerated consumption, film noir and the depiction of women in art, the dystopic American landscape, and the intersection of popular culture and politics, are explored through works by acknowledged masters such as Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol, as well as by many artists not traditionally associated with Pop whose art may be understood within its wider field of reference. These include William Eggleston, Peter Saul, Christina Ramberg, and Vija Celmins, among others.
The exhibition is the fourth in a two-year series which reassess the Whitney’s collection in anticipation of the Museum’s move downtown. Unfolding chronologically, these exhibitions explore overlooked developments in American art and reconsider iconic figures and works within new contexts.
Sinister Pop is organized by Donna De Salvo, Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Programs, and Scott Rothkopf, Curator and Associate Director of Programs.
Ongoing support for the permanent collection and major support for Sinister Pop is provided by
Bank of America.
Artworks

William Eggleston (b. 1939), Untitled, c. 1972 (printed 1980), from the portfolio Troubled Waters. Dye transfer print, 15 15/16 × 19 15/16in. (40.5 × 50.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from Marcia Dunn and Jonathan Sobel 2009.97. © Eggleston Artistic Trust, courtesy Cheim and Read, New York


William Eggleston (b. 1939), Untitled, c. 1960–1965. Gelatin silver print, 14 × 16in. (35.6 × 40.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Photography Committee, Niko Elmaleh, Lauren DePalo, The Dorothea L. Leonhardt Foundation, and Diane and Tom Tuft 2008.47. © Eggleston Artistic Trust, courtesy Cheim & Read, New York


Lee Friedlander (b. 1934), Shadow, 1965 (printed 1973), from 15 Photographs, 1975. Gelatin silver print mounted on paper, sheet: 15 3/8 × 20in. (39.1 × 50.8cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Jeanne and Richard S. Press 2002.463.5. © Lee Friedlander, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco


Andy Warhol, Nine Jackies, 1964. Synthetic polymer and silkscreen ink on canvas, 59 1/2 × 48 1/4 in. (151.1 × 122.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of The American Contemporary Art Foundation Inc., Leonard A. Lauder, President 2002.273. © 2018 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York


Allan D’Arcangelo (1930-1998), Madonna and Child, 1963. Acrylic on canvas, 68 5/8 × 60 3/8 in. (174.3 × 153.4 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Painting and Sculpture Committee 2013.2 Art© Estate of Allan D’Arcangelo, Licensed by VAGA, New York; courtesy the Estate of Allan D’Arcangelo and Garth Greenan Gallery, New York Art © D’Arcangelo Family Partnership/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY


Christina Ramberg, (1946-1995), Istrian River Lady, 1974. Acrylic on composition board, overall: 34 1/2 × 30 1/4in. (87.6 × 76.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Frederic M. Roberts in memory of their son, James Reed Roberts 74.12. Image © Whitney Museum of American Art, courtesy the Estate of Christina Ramberg; Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago


Nancy Grossman (b. 1940), Head, 1968. Wood, leather, metal zippers, lacquer and metal nails, 16 × 7 3/4 × 8 3/4 in. (40.64 x 19.69 x 22.23 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Howard and Jean Lipman Foundation, Inc. 68.81a-b. Courtesy Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York


Edward Kienholz (1927-1994), Untitled American President, 1962. Metal, plastic, fabric, paint and chain on wood with ceramic base, overall: 60 1/4 x 13 1/2 × 13 1/2in. (153 × 34.3 × 34.3cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Painting and Sculpture Committee 93.99a-b. © Ed Kienholz, courtesy of L.A. Louver. Photograph by Geoffrey Clements


Joel Meyerowitz (b. 1938), Catskill Mountain Resort, 1963 (printed 1999), from Photographs: The Early Years. Gelatin silver print, sheet: 11 × 14in. (27.9 × 35.6cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Ronald B. Milch 2000.286.8. Courtesy Joel Meyerowitz and Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York


Ralston Crawford (1906-1978), (Man in front of Poster), 1964. Gelatin silver print, sheet: 11 × 13 7/8 in. (27.9 × 35.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; jointly owned by the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; gift of John Crawford 2008.320. © Ralston Crawford Estate

Artists
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Billy Al Bengston
3 works in the collection
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Judith Bernstein
3 works in the collection
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Lee Bontecou
12 works in the collection
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Vija Celmins
11 works in the collection
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Ching Ho Cheng
4 works in the collection
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Christo
7 works in the collection
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Ralston Crawford
229 works in the collection
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Allan D'Arcangelo
14 works in the collection
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Jim Dine
93 works in the collection
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William Eggleston
35 works in the collection
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Louis Faurer
17 works in the collection
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Robert Frank
26 works in the collection
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Lee Friedlander
110 works in the collection
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Milton Glaser
1 work in the collection
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Nancy Grossman
3 works in the collection
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Robert Heinecken
41 works in the collection
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Peter Hujar
41 works in the collection
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Jasper Johns
212 works in the collection
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Alex Katz
80 works in the collection
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Edward Kienholz
6 works in the collection
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Roy Lichtenstein
445 works in the collection
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Richard Lindner
5 works in the collection
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Lee Lozano
6 works in the collection
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Joel Meyerowitz
67 works in the collection
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Billy Name
2 works in the collection
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Jim Nutt
5 works in the collection
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Claes Oldenburg
123 works in the collection
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Bill Owens
8 works in the collection
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Christina Ramberg
3 works in the collection
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Mel Ramos
11 works in the collection
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James Rosenquist
30 works in the collection
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Edward Ruscha
563 works in the collection
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Lucas Samaras
128 works in the collection
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Peter Saul
12 works in the collection
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George Segal
5 works in the collection
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May Stevens
7 works in the collection
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Paul Thek
16 works in the collection
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Andy Warhol
974 works in the collection
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Weegee
36 works in the collection
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Tom Wesselmann
12 works in the collection
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Garry Winogrand
123 works in the collection
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Karl Wirsum
10 works in the collection
Videos
Events
View all-
Sat,
Jan 31Learning Series Lectures in Contemporary Art: Women in American Art
5–6 pm
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Sat,
Jan 31Learning Series Lectures in Contemporary Art: Women in American Art
3–4 pm
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Sat,
Jan 24Learning Series Lectures in Contemporary Art: Women in American Art
5–6 pm
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Sat,
Jan 24Learning Series Lectures in Contemporary Art: Women in American Art
3–4 pm
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Sat,
Nov 22Learning Series Lectures in Contemporary Art: Women in American Art
5–6 pm
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Sat,
Nov 22Learning Series Lectures in Contemporary Art: Women in American Art
3–4 pm
Installation Photography
In the News
“With Pop’s popularity comes pressure on museums to make it new, to stop serving up the same old Coke bottles and Brillo boxes. The Whitney, which has substantial holdings of Pop Art, manages to do this in the sharp new collection show Sinister Pop.”
—The New York Times
“This is the Whitney at its best—a kind of tribute to both the institution and the era in which it matured.”
—Co.Design
“The Dark Side: Sinister Pop Opens at the Whitney Museum”
—Vogue