Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney - Wikimedia Commons
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney had not only been an important figure amongst artists in Greenwich Village but also to other artists throughout America because she “helped to build faith in living American art.”
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and the Whitney Studio were important to the then-tiny Village art scene because they provided an outlet for American artists whose work was under-appreciated at the time. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was a socialite, sculptor, and one of the leading patrons of American art in the early 20th century. In 1907, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney established the Whitney Studio on 19 MacDougal Alley as a place to work on her sculptures. Whitney eventually started to purchase and display art by other Greenwich Village artists. As her collection grew, Whitney opened up the Whitney Studio Galleries in November 1928, which eventually evolved into the Whitney Museum.
