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David Whitney
(March 29, 1939 - June 12, 2005) U.S.A.

David Whitney

Art curator, collector, gallerist and critic

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David Whitney, the son of a banker, was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts and studied architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. While a student, he attended a lecture by Johnson and approached the architect afterwards, asking for a tour of the Glass House.

David led a very private life and was not well known outside the art world, even though he participated naked in the 1965 Claes Oldenburg happening Washes . He was the life partner of architect Philip Johnson (1906 - 2005) for 45 years until their deaths five months apart. He was also a close friend of Andy Warhol.

During the early to mid-1960s David had a variety of roles in the contemporary art world. Early jobs at the Museum of Modern Art and several art galleries, including the Green Gallery and the Leo Castelli Gallery, led to him opening his own gallery in 1969. David Whitney Gallery worked from September 1969 through March 1972, when the gallery closed. The David Whitney Gallery featured Lyrical Abstraction, Post-minimalism and other current movements of the period.

David Whitney Philip Johnson
David Whitney and Philip Johnson

After his gallery years, he organized exhibitions at the Whitney Museum and elsewhere for well-known artists such as Cy Twombly, Jasper Johns, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning and Andy Warhol. Whitney was also an early member of the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board.

His partner, Philip Johnson, died in his sleep while at the Glass House retreat. He was survived by his life partner of 45 years, David Whitney, who died later that same year at age 66.

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Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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