Museum

The Whitney Museum of American Art

New York City, United States

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The Whitney’s asymmetrical building rises beside the High Line at the edge of the Hudson River. Designed for American art and artists, its terraces and cantilevered entrance respond to an industrial neighborhood and connect museum galleries with the city outside.

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The building leans into its surroundings. Renzo Piano designed the Whitney’s current home to respond to the Meatpacking District’s industrial lofts, the elevated High Line, and the Hudson River beyond. Its asymmetrical profile and stepped upper floors create terraces facing the park, while the cantilevered entrance shelters a public gathering space on Gansevoort Street.

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Quick facts

  • Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney founded the museum in 1930.
  • The current Gansevoort Street building opened in 2015.
  • Renzo Piano designed the Whitney’s current building.

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