Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was a woman who defied expectation. Founder of the Whitney Museum she was a progressive and unflappable patron of the modern arts. Her husband, on the other hand, did not permit her portrait (painted by Robert Henri) to be hung in their house; he probably couldn’t stand all that assertiveness. Or a woman wearing the pants….

The new building of the Whitney is functional and delightfully unpretentious. Which can not necessarily be said for the museum visitors who seem to be inclined towards color coordination with the exhibits.

Two things caught my eye in particular. I had mentioned this piece before, turned upside down per request of the artist the day after Trump was elected. Not a peep about that in any vicinity of the artwork. People are left in the dark, probably to dark-adapt for the upcoming years…..

And then there is this wax sculpture of Julian Schnabel created by Swiss artist Urs Fischer. It has been burning as a candle since April, having been an intact image of the man at the beginning. I guess heads roll first – that, too, an ominous prep for our future. The poor guard’s job is to light the candle in the morning, extinguish in the evening at stand near a portable fire extinguisher for the rest of the day. Now do you feel better about what’s in store for you today?

Like mother like son, we documented our favorite sights, as well as the unconscionable tasteless ones.

 

The museum store offered the upscale advice of what I had found on the street earlier.

Not exactly the advice that hungry waifs or sumo babies could use – but one taken seriously by yours truly.