“People say the color does this, or the color does that. And I say the color does what it does.”
Stanley Whitney (b. 1946, Philadelphia, PA) is a distinguished contemporary artist known for his vibrant use of color grids that evoke a sense of harmony and discord, reminiscent of a quilt’s intricate patterns. Whitney’s art transcends simple aesthetic appeal, aiming to deconstruct traditional visual order to imbue his work with a rhythm and poeticism inspired by jazz, architecture, and African art. This multidisciplinary inspiration became particularly profound after his move to Rome in 1992, where the historical depth of the city’s architecture, including the Colosseum and the Pantheon, influenced his exploration of spatial compression in his paintings.
Whitney’s journey in the arts began with studies at the Kansas City Art Institute and continued in New York in 1968, later culminating in an MFA from Yale School of Art in 1972. Despite challenges in gaining recognition during the 1970s and 1980s, a period when abstract painting was often overlooked, Whitney persisted in refining his unique approach to color and structure. His dedication to exploring the dynamic interplay of colors led to increased acclaim, highlighted by his solo exhibition Stanley Whitney: Dance the Orange at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 2015.
The culmination of Whitney’s years of dedication and innovation was his first retrospective Stanley Whitney: How High the Moon at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in 2024, marking a significant milestone in his career. Additionally, Whitney ventured into commissioned work, creating three stained-glass pieces that feature his iconic colored grids for the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Today, Whitney, alongside his wife Marina Adams, divides his time between New York, NY, and Parma, Italy, with his works residing in esteemed collections worldwide, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Yale University Art Gallery.
