Whitney Women and the Museum They Made: A Family Memoir
- Book Review,
by Flora Miller Miller Biddle
Amazon.com
The history of the Whitney Museum is a riveting drama that begins with Gertrude, the oldest daughter of the heir to the biggest American family fortune of the day--the Vanderbilts. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, a sculptor and art lover, opened the Whitney Studio in 1914 on Eighth Street in lower New York City. She then funded and ran the institution that evolved into the Whitney Museum of American Art until her death in 1942. When she died, she passed the reins on to her daughter Flora Whitney Miller, who bequeathed it to Flora Miller Biddle, the author of this book. Biddle's own daughter Fiona, currently a museum trustee, represents the fourth generation of Whitney women to influence the direction of what has become one of the world's most prominent art institutions. The Whitney women, through their roles variously as administrators, trustees, collectors, and artists, have shaped the structure and focus of the museum, a function played primarily by men at other museums. This mixture of memoir and history takes readers through the whirlwind of changes that the museum has undergone throughout its history, offering glimpses into a tumultuous arena in which the changing values of the art world and academia are constantly at play. Biddle writes that the Whitney has been, "in turn, mother, sister, child, and lover. It's given me a richer life than I could possibly have imagined for myself, and it's given me more pain, too--plus a true education." And she imparts some of that knowledge to readers here. --A.C. Smith
From Library Journal
This intimate work offers insight into the legacy of the Whitney women and their love affair with American art. The book follows the lives of three generations of determined women, from Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney to her granddaughter, Flora Miller Biddle. Through their guidance and support, the Whitney Studio, established in Greenwich Village in 1914, evolved into a major cultural institution. Each chapter tells of the struggles, intrigue, and successes that helped a family-owned studio become a private museum. The book lacks a useful guide to the many references to notable personages sprinkled throughout the text, and a chronological listing of events and Whitney Museum leadership would have made another welcome addition. Despite these imperfections, this book is crucial in understanding the evolution of the American art scene. Recommended for public and academic libraries collecting 20th-century art and criticism.AStephen Allan Patrick, East Tennessee State Univ. Lib., Johnson City Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The New York Times Book Review, Nicholas Fox Weber
...[Biddle] is courageous in her revelations and astute in her observations of human behavior.
From Kirkus Reviews
Biddle, a former president of the Whitney Museum of American Art and granddaughter of the museum's legendary founder, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, here commemorates the illustrious female dynasty of art lovers and the institution they created and sustained. Nowadays an integral part of the Manhattan art landscape, the Whitney was at its inception just a studio on Eighth Street, opened by the sculptor and wealthy heiress. Seeking to support contemporary American artists, she transformed her studio into a full-fledged museum by 1930 and remained its president and most generous benefactor until her death in 1942, when her daughter took over. By the middle of the century, running a museum had become a challenging business, requiring a well-trained staff and a constant influx of money. Reluctantly, the Whitney Museum changed its original policy, focusing less on acquiring new artwork than on interpreting and properly displaying the finest items in its collection. The Museum became progressively more dependent on donations, and an admission fee was introduced in 1966. At the same time, it widened the range of its activities to include lectures, publications, a library, films, and trips abroad for members. When Gertrude's granddaughter became trustee and later president of the museum, it was moved to its present prominent location on Madison Avenue. While painstakingly recording endless fund-raising campaigns and providing an overview of day-to-day management, Miller Biddle also discusses the precarious balance between her private and public roles. After raising several children, she assumed responsibilities at the museum her mother had entrusted to her, while simultaneously taking continuing education classes and collaborating with Bob Friedman on her grandmother's 1978 biography. Her life and legacy, like that of her mother and grandmother, became inseparable from the Whitney. Despite its relative neglect of art and artists, an estimable history of the Whitney, with illuminating forays into the history of several prominent American families. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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