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Article: The Three Gertrudes.(Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Gertude Stein and Gertie the Dinosaur and 'The American Century, Part I' exhibition ad Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York)
- Article from:
- Art in America
- Article date:
- September 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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My first Gertrude is the Whitney Museum's founder, who, in the guise of Robert Henri's splendid portrait, holds court over "The American Century, Part I." Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney defended herself from the criticism of her museum's inaugural exhibition in 1931 by insisting that she did not "pretend to have covered anything like the entire field in my collection of American Art.... At first I bought with no such idea in mind, just bought a picture because I liked it and thought the artist well worthwhile."[1] Taking Mrs. Whitney's lead, we should abandon the grandiose expectations raised by the exhibition's unfortunate title and, instead, think of "The American Century, ...