Where we are: 1900–1960

At a time when debate continues over what it means to be American, the Whitney Museum selected works from its permanent collection to reflect on one’s sense of self.

Herman Trunk Jr.(1894‑1963), Mount Vernon, 1932. Oil on canvas, 87 × 117 cm, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Courtesy the Herman Trunk, Jr. Foundation

At a time when debate continues over what it means to be American, the exhibition “Where We Are” at the Whitney Museum proposes a framework of everyday relationships, institutions, and activities that form an individual’s sense of self.

John Steuart Curry (1897‑1946), <i>Baptism in Kansas</i>, 1928 — **Top:** Herman Trunk Jr. (1894‑1963), *Mount Vernon*, 1932, oil on canvas, 87×117 cm, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Courtesy Herman Trunk, Jr. Foundation. **Above:** John Steuart Curry (1897‑1946), *Baptism in Kansas*, 1928, oil on canvas, 102.2×127.6 cm, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Gift of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney

The exhibition focuses on works from the Whitney’s collection made between 1900 and 1960, a tumultuous period in the history of the United States when life in the country changed drastically due to war, economic collapse, and demands for civil rights. Artists responded in complex and diverse ways, and the exhibition honors their efforts to put forward new ways of presenting the self and American life.

Left: Charles Demuth (1883–1935), Buildings, Lancaster, 1930, oil and graphite pencil on composition board, 61.3×51.1 cm, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Gift of an anonymous donor. Right: Edward Hopper 1882–1967, Three studies: Man with Eyes Closed and Two Men’s Heads in Profile, 1899–1906, charcoal on paper, 47.8×31.1cm, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper, licensed by Whitney Museum of American Art

Drawn entirely from the Whitney’s permanent collection, the exhibition is organized around five themes: family and community, work, home, the spiritual, and the nation. “Where We Are”, as well as each of its sections, is titled after a phrase in W. H. Auden’s poem September 1, 1939. Auden, who was raised in England, wrote the poem in New York City shortly after his immigration to the United States and at the very outset of World War II. The title of the poem marks the date Germany invaded Poland.

Fairfield Porter (1907–1975), <i>Portrait of Ted Carey and Andy Warhol</i>, 1960 — Fairfield Porter (1907–1975), *Portrait of Ted Carey and Andy Warhol*, 1960, oil on linen, 101.6×101.9 cm, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Gift of Andy Warhol. © 2017 The Estate of Fairfield Porter/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

through Spring 2017
Where we are: 1900–1960
curated by David Breslin with Jennie Goldstein, assistant curator, and Margaret Kross, curatorial assistant
Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort Street, New York

Where we are: 1900–1960

At a time when debate continues over what it means to be American, the Whitney Museum selected works from its permanent collection to reflect on one’s sense of self.

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