Now that I’ve given you a preview of the outside of the downtown Whitney Museum building in yesterday’s blog, it’s time to move inside to the art.
The inaugural show is called “American Is Hard To See” (through September 27) and features the Whitney’s permanent collection, an impressive compendium of American art, some of which I hadn’t seen in years.
Starting with the chronologically older works on the top floor and working down, I found some old friends in more traditional paintings from Georgia O’Keefe and Wayne Thiebaud.
And I discovered new ones, like Chiura Obata, whose striking Yosemite prints caught the spirit of that magical place, which we just visited a few weeks ago.
On the 7th and 8th floors, I confess I missed the more intimate, distinctive feeling of the old galleries in the Marcel Breuer Madison Avenue building, whose space and flow felt more appropriate for the smaller works. Maybe I was even a bit disappointed, but unwilling to admit it to myself.
So I gave in to urge to explore outside once again. Jay and I revisited the Whitney sculpture collection against the Manhattan skyline, including this David Smith. Up until this point, I found the outside art more compelling than the inside.
When we went back to the art in the 6th floor gallery, I let out an involuntary sigh of relief. Maybe it was my mood or my personal taste, but all of a sudden I felt the Whitney I knew and loved was back. Once again, the art was the hero rather than the building, and was enhanced by the large open spaces.
Finally, I was caught up in the art itself rather than the design of the building and NYC views. However, we were running out of time. As I quickly walked through the rest of the galleries, a smattering of works caught my eye, like this whimsical Marisol wood sculpture. 
And then there was this gallery, one of several whose floor to ceiling windows allowed a successful melding of the art, building and city.
I liked the large installations on the lower floors which worked well in the new space. And many of the smaller pieces commanded more than their fair share of attention. The innovative combinations and juxtapositions from the permanent collection offered pleasant surprises around every corner.
I was glad to see that Jay and I are not the only ones who imitate the statues in museums.
While the novelty of the new Renzo Piano building dominated this first visit, the art itself commanded my attention in the end. Unfortunately, we had to leave before I was ready to go. Fortunately, we live close by and can go back often.
As we walked down the High Line back to our car, we came across this mural.
In a way, it summarized the essence of the new Whitney and this exhibit – a labor of love – which has changed the face of the downtown art scene forever. Next time, I’ll plan a longer visit and even get the audio tour. And I promise to give the art the attention that it deserves.
