Philanthropist and heiress Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney is perhaps best known as the founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan. A lifelong supporter of fine art, Whitney began showcasing underappreciated American artists at her Greenwich Village studio in the early 1900s. Her personal collection evolved to more than 500 pieces and, after the Metropolitan Museum of Art refused an endowment, she established the Whitney in 1930. However, this legacy is but a footnote to Whitney’s artistic identity. A gifted sculptor, she received wide acclaim for her deeply emotional bronze creations. Beginning January 25, the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach will mount “Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney: Sculpture,” the first exhibition of Whitney’s work since her death in 1942. This grouping of more than 40 sculptures and drawings highlights her range, from her later Art Deco–inspired efforts to her memorials for tragic events like WWI, which she experienced firsthand as a nurse in France. During her life, Whitney’s sculptures were displayed in exhibits throughout Europe and the United States, including a solo show at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1923. Now, a new generation of museum goers can discover the incredible catalogue of this wonderful woman and her immeasurable contribution to American art. (561-832-5196)
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