List of Whitney Biennial curators facts for kids
The Whitney Biennial is a famous art show that happens every two years at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. It's a big event where new and exciting art from American artists is shown. This list tells you about the people called Whitney Biennial curators who have helped put these amazing shows together.
Curators are like the directors of an art show. They choose which artists and artworks will be displayed, decide how the art is arranged, and help tell the story of the exhibition. The Whitney Biennial started as an annual (yearly) show in 1932, but it became a biennial (every two years) in 1973.
History of the Biennial
The Whitney Museum used to have a big art show every year called the 'Whitney Annual'. It started in 1932. In the late 1960s, they decided to show paintings one year and sculptures the next.
By the 1970s, they changed their minds again. They decided to combine both paintings and sculptures into one big show that would happen every two years. This is how the Whitney Biennial began.
The very first Biennial in 1973 was put together by a group of museum staff, led by the director John I. H. Baur. The 1975 Whitney Biennial was the first time that specific curators were officially named for their work on the show. These five curators were John Hanhardt, Barbara Haskell, James Monte, Elke Solomon, and Marcia Tucker. Their hard work was also supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Whitney Biennial Curators
Here is a list of the curators and organizers who have shaped the Whitney Biennial over the years:
| Year | Curator/Organizers | Affiliated Curator/s & Advisor/s |
|---|---|---|
| 2024
(forthcoming) |
Chrissie Iles
Meg Onli |
|
| 2022 | David Breslin
Adrienne Edwards |
Gabriel Almeida Baroja - Curatorial Project Assistant
Margaret Kross - former Senior Curatorial Assistant |
| 2019 | Jane Panetta Rujeko Hockley |
film program guest curated by Maori Karmael Holmes, Matt Wolf, and Sky Hopinka. |
| 2017 | Christopher Y. Lew Mia Locks |
co-curated film program with Aily Nash |
| 2014 | Stuart Comer Anthony Elms Michelle Grabner |
|
| 2012 | Elisabeth Sussman Jay Sanders |
co-curated film program with Thomas Beard and Ed Halter, co-founders of Light Industry |
| 2010 | Francesco Bonami Gary Carrion-Murayari |
|
| 2008 | Henriette Huldisch Shamim M. Momin |
overseen by Donna De Salvo, advisors: Thelma Golden, Bill Horrigan, Linda Norden |
| 2006 | Philippe Vergne Chrissie Iles |
|
| 2004 | Chrissie Iles Shamim M. Momin Debra Singer |
|
| 2002 | Lawrence Rinder | Chrissie Iles, curator of film and video Christiane Paul, curator of Internet-based art works Debra Singer, curator of performance and sound art |
| 2000 | Maxwell L. Anderson Michael Auping Valerie Cassel Hugh M. Davies Jane Farver Andrea Miller-Keller Lawrence R. Rinder |
|
| 1997 | Lisa Phillips Louise Neri |
|
| 1995 | Klaus Kertess | |
| 1993 | Elisabeth Sussman | Associate Curators - Lisa Phillips, John Hanhardt and Thelma Golden |
| 1991 | Richard Armstrong Richard D. Marshall Lisa Phillips John Hanhardt |
|
| 1989 | Richard Armstrong Richard D. Marshall Lisa Phillips |
with John Hanhardt choosing the artists in the film and video section. |
| 1987 | Richard Armstrong Richard D. Marshall Lisa Phillips |
|
| 1985 | John Hanhardt Barbara Haskell Richard D. Marshall Lisa Phillips Patterson Sims |
Richard Armstrong (museum director) |
| 1983 | John Hanhardt Barbara Haskell Richard D. Marshall Lisa Phillips Patterson Sims |
|
| 1981 | John Hanhardt Barbara Haskell Richard D. Marshall Lisa Phillips Patterson Sims |
|
| 1979 | John Hanhardt Barbara Haskell Richard D. Marshall Mark Segal Patterson Sims |
|
| 1977 | Barbara Haskell Marcia Tucker |
Patterson Sims, Associate Curator |
| 1975 | John Hanhardt Barbara Haskell James Monte Elke Solomon Marcia Tucker |
|
| 1973 | Curatorial Committee | under direction of director John I. H. Baur |
See also
- List of Whitney Biennial artists
