Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
| Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
circa 1909
|
|
| Born |
Gertrude Vanderbilt January 9, 1875 New York City |
| Died | April 18, 1942 (aged 67) New York City |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation |
Sculptor Art collector |
| Spouse(s) | Harry Payne Whitney (m. 1896; his death 1930) |
| Children |
Flora Whitney Miller Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Barbara Whitney Headley |
| Parent(s) |
Cornelius Vanderbilt II Alice Claypoole Gwynne |
| Relatives | See Vanderbilt family |
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (January 9, 1875 – April 18, 1942) was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, who was born into the wealthy Vanderbilt family and married into the Whitney family.
Gertrude Vanderbilt was born in New York City January 9, 1875, the second daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843–1899) and Alice Claypoole Gwynne (1852–1934) and a great-granddaughter of "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt. Her older sister died before Gertrude was born, but she grew up with several brothers and a younger sister. The family's New York City home was an opulent mansion at 742-748 Fifth Avenue. As a young girl, Gertrude spent her summers in Newport, Rhode Island, at the family's summer home, The Breakers, where she kept up with the boys in all their rigorous sporting activities. She was educated by private tutors and at the exclusive Brearley School for women students in New York City.
While visiting Europe in the early 1900s, Gertrude Whitney discovered the burgeoning art world of Montmartre and Montparnasse in France. What she saw encouraged her to pursue her creativity and become a sculptor.
She studied at the Art Students League of New York with Hendrik Christian Andersen and James Earle Fraser. Other women students in her classes included Anna Vaughn Hyatt and Malvina Hoffman. In Paris she studied with Andrew O'Connor and also received criticism from Auguste Rodin in Paris. Her training with sculptors of public monuments influenced her later direction. Although her catalogs include numerous smaller sculptures, she is best known today for her monumental works.
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