Gertrude vanderbilt whitney biography definition

Since she considered Harry her one true love, the realization of his straying devastated her and made her circumscribed existence as a socialite even more hollow. In the absence of clear-cut and fulfilling roles, and with a small army of nursemaids, governesses, and tutors to tend to her children, she looked for something substantial to fill her time.

Whitney settled upon art. From her earliest years, art had held a special fascination. She had always sketched and painted, and while touring had lingered longest in the art museums. Inshe began taking classes with Hendrik Christian Andersen, a European sculptor who conceived mammoth works. The scale appealed to Whitney. Though she was a diligent student, it was not easy for her to carve out time away from the expectations of her husband, children, and society.

In the summer ofthe Whitneys traveled to Europe without their children. Harry spent his hours playing polo and scouting for new horses while Gertrude haunted museums and dined with the local sculptors. Later that year, she exhibited her first work, Aspirationat the Pan-American Exposition. The acceptance of Aspiration was the sort of encouragement that she needed to pursue what was, by then, clearly a calling.

Later that year, Whitney established two studios, as her determination to sculpt increased.

Gertrude vanderbilt whitney biography definition

She also found another teacher, the noted American sculptor James Earle Fraser. Inshe combined art and philanthropy as she became a member of the board of directors of the Greenwich House Social Settlement in New York City, one of her lifelong charities. She subsidized and taught art classes there, and Greenwich House would continue to figure in her artistic endeavors.

That year, Whitney was again pregnant. There are hints in her diary that the benevolent work at Greenwich and the pregnancy were attempts on her part to regain her husband's love. Barbara Whitney was born on March 21,but the marriage would never again be as it had in the early years. Initially disapproving, Harry would eventually become distantly supportive of his wife's work, but he did not cease having affairs.

Ultimately, Whitney would also find solace outside the marriage. During the early s, she committed herself seriously to two main goals: becoming the finest sculptor possible and supporting artists in need. Inshe exhibited American Athlete at the St. Louis Exhibition and the next year secured her first commission. Byshe had found ways to profitably combine her social standing and her art.

That year, she put together an exhibit at the private, exclusive women's Colony Club—of which she was a founding member—that included antique lace, portraits of members, and contemporary American paintings by artists who were known to her, including Ernest Lawson, Blendon Campbell, Jerome Myers, Arthur B. Davies, and Bridget Guinness.

To her continued disappointment, her family and society friends were only amusedly tolerant of her sculpting. Instead, it was the artists she met who responded to her seriousness and her dedication—as well as to her financial and emotional support of them. Her second goal grew out of her understanding that the art being created around her was not greatly admired by gertrude vanderbilt whitney biography definition people.

Without a showcase, these painters could not make a living. Whitney's wealth and profound esteem for the work of her colleagues put her in a position to become a strong supporter of American art. She bought their canvases or sculptures, gave or loaned them money, paid their rent or medical bills, sent them abroad to study, and paid for their art supplies.

She did this for many artists—male and female, European and American—and almost always in secret. Sometimes her support was longterm; sometimes it was only to see an artist through a lean period. According to her biographer B. Friedman, patronage became "for her a co-equal means of expressing creative energy. Whitney," wrote art critic Henry McBride.

Ultimately, she turned her own studio into an exhibition space for their art. One of the most famous exhibitions held at the Whitney Studio was the two-part "Indigenous Show" in She invited 20 painters to spend three days in the studio and supplied them with canvases the size was randomly assigned—so a muralist had to contend with a tiny canvaspaints, brushes, food, whiskey, and cigars.

Sculptors were allowed five days and varying amounts of clay. The public wandered through enthralled with the opportunity to watch creative geniuses at work. InWhitney held the "Negro Sculpture" show which combined the work of African and African-American sculptors as well as 20 paintings by Pablo Picassoto highlight the connections between African art and modernism.

She held many other exhibitions for charity. The first was the "50—50 Art Sale," in which the profits were split evenly between the artists and the American Hospital in Paris which was tending to the wounded soldiers of World War I. Her patronage extended beyond the art she collected, the artists she supported, and the exhibitions she held at the Whitney Studio.

Inshe began to underwrite The Artsa magazine devoted to the writings and work of contemporary, non-academic artists. She provided the funding for the defense of the Supreme Court case Brancusi v. Inthe Court found in favor of Brancusi. In order to spread the word about American art—and, in some cases, because the Whitney Studio was too small—Whitney organized exhibitions in other galleries in New York City, Boston, Baltimore, and Newport, as well as abroad.

The "Overseas Exhibition" toured four European cities, representing the work of 32 contemporary American artists. Whenever her exhibitions held competitions, she provided the purse. Meanwhile, she sculpted. Whitney's own work was traditional, realistic, and often grand in scale. Many of her commissions memorialized events and people, such as the Titanic Memorial Washington, D.

Nazaire Monument St. If she accepted remuneration, she was criticized by members of memorial organizations who thought that she was wealthy enough to donate her art; if she worked for free, she was criticized by fellow artists who claimed she undercut the market. Though she did not always cash the checks, Whitney made certain that those who commissioned her also paid her.

Her smaller statues, such as Paganisme Immortelwon a distinguished rating from the National Academy of Design in and caused her to begin exhibiting under her own name rather than anonymously; though Chinoise and Salome brought her satisfaction and occasionally money, she was best known for her monuments. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney — As a daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the richest man in the United States at the turn of the century, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was born into tremendous wealth and privilege.

Getty record Introduction Patron and noted sculptor. Has image On view. Randomize Reset. Classification Sculpture 7. Credit line. Year range. Has description Has audio or video. She personally worked in patriotic committees and funded the construction and operation of a military hospital in France. She was deeply committed to supporting the war effort.

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's contributions to the world of art and philanthropy have left a lasting legacy. Her dedication to American artists and her establishment of the Whitney Museum of American Art have greatly influenced the art scene in the United States. She will always be remembered as a passionate advocate for the arts and a generous supporter of aspiring artists and musicians.

With a cubist style, it is one of her biggest works. Her great wealth afforded her the opportunity to become a patron of the arts, but she also devoted herself to the advancement of women in art, supporting and exhibiting in women-only shows and ensuring that women were included in mixed shows. Artists such as Robert Henri and Jo Davidson were invited to showcase their works there.

InWhitney offered the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art the donation of her twenty-five-year collection of nearly American modern art works and full payment for building a wing to accommodate these works. A colorful recollection of one of her parties celebrating her artist friends was recounted by the artist Jerome Myers :. Matching it in memory is a party at Mrs.

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's, on her Long Island estate, the artists there a veritable catalog of celebrities, painters and sculptors. I can hardly visualize, let alone describe, the many shifting scenes of our entertainment: sunken pools and gorgeous white peacocks as line decorations spreading into the gardens; in their swinging cages, brilliant macaws nodding their beaks at George Luks as though they remembered posing for his pictures of them; Robert Chanler showing us his exotic sea pictures, blue-green visions in a marine bathroom; and Mrs.

Whitney displaying her studio, the only place on earth in which she could find solitude. Here the artists felt at home, the Whitney hospitality always gracious and sincere. Gertrude had a dear friend named Esther in her youth with whom a number of love letters were uncovered which made explicit the desires both had for a physical relationship that surpassed friendship.

The separation seemed to have worked; for while Esther continued to write heartbroken letters of longing, Gertrude went on to have a bevy of male beaux. At age 21, on August 25,she married the extremely gertrude vanderbilt whitney biography definition sportsman Harry Payne Whitney — Senator from Ohio Henry B. Payneand sister to a Standard Oil Company magnate.

Harry Whitney inherited a fortune in oil and tobacco as well as interests in banking. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney did win custody of her niece at the end of the custody battle. In the television miniseries Little Gloria Happy at LastWhitney was portrayed by actress Angela Lansburywho earned an Emmy nomination for her performance. She was also the subject of B.

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. American sculptor, art patron and collector — Harry Payne Whitney. Early life [ edit ]. Education and early work [ edit ]. World War I and its aftermath [ edit ]. Sculptures from her show [ edit ].

Public sculptures [ edit ]. Titanic MemorialWashington, D. Monument to ColumbusHuelvaSpain. Influence in art [ edit ].