Winter at the Whitney
A Holiday Guide

Our favorite ways to get festive and celebrate the season at the Whitney. 

Spirit of the Season
Holiday Playlist and Toy Drive

Nothing gets us more in the holiday mood than the sounds of the season. We surveyed Whitney staff and put together our favorite winter tunes. It is our musical gift to you. Speaking of gifts, the Whitney is hosting a toy drive. In collaboration with the city, we are collecting new, unwrapped toys for families in all five boroughs. Join us and learn more. 

Twinkling City Lights
Evening terrace views, Floors 5, 6, 7, and 8

There’s no better place to admire the city’s twinkling lights than atop one of the Whitney’s terraces. Soak in Gansevoort Plaza’s spectacular holiday lights display and panoramic views, and make sure to look up. Nancy Baker Cahill: CENTO, a monumental augmented reality “creature,” drifts through the air above the terrace on Floor 8.

Seasonal Sweets
In Ruth Asawa Through Line, Floor 8 

Persimmons ripen in the coldest months of the year, becoming sugar-sweet like candy. They are the ultimate festive, fruity delicacy, and standing in front of Ruth Asawa’s painting of persimmons is an equally delicious treat. Widely renowned for her wire sculptures, Asawa’s dreamy works on paper take the spotlight in Ruth Asawa Through Line, on view through January 15, 2024. The exhibition illuminates the artist’s playful curiosity and technical dexterity, as well as her interest in the aesthetic possibilities of the everyday.

A Taste of Winter
Frenchette Bakery at the Whitney, Floor 1

Come in from the cold and warm up with a hot beverage at Frenchette Bakery at the Whitney. Relax in velvety upholstered booths, breathe in the smell of freshly baked bread, and observe the holiday hustle and bustle of the Meatpacking district through the floor-to-ceiling windows in our newly-opened restaurant (Whitney Members receive a 10% discount). You'll see a new artwork by Rashid Johnson too—New Poetry, a steel-grid sculpture laden with plants and ceramics, extends from within the cafe out onto the plaza. 

Festive Attire
In Henry Taylor: B Side, Floor 5

When it comes to festive attire, we all know the feeling of an outfit that just “ain’t me,” particularly children whose sartorial choices are not always their own. In the dress, ain’t me, and so many of Henry Taylor’s paintings, body language says it all. A story unfolds within each of the artist’s enormous portraits—this painting is more than seven feet tall. Step into Henry Taylor: B Side, on view through January 28, 2024, and mingle with the artist’s community. Share moments—immediate and sincere—with family, friends, neighbors, celebrities, politicians, and strangers. 

Have a Hopper Holiday
Treasures from our Edward Hopper collection, Floor 7 and online

One of the many treasures in the Whitney’s collection are these holiday cards made by Edward Hopper in 1928, 1929, and 1931. We wonder who was on his mailing list? Hopper’s relationship with the Whitney began in 1920 when the then-unknown artist received his first-ever solo exhibition. Today, the Museum is the largest repository of Hopper’s artwork in the world. Much of the collection, like these cards, can be browsed online, and we always have Hopper’s works hanging on Floor 7, too. In fact, we just installed a new lineup of Hoppers—swing by and check them out. 

Savor the Last Moments of 2023
Photo booth and mini print vending machine at the Whitney Shop 

There are very few film photo booths left in New York, but we’ve got one of them. Stop by the Whitney Shop to immortalize 2023 the old-fashioned way. While you’re here, check out artist Ana Inciardi’s newly installed mini print vending machine. Insert four quarters and receive a surprise lino print inspired by the city: a bagel, a slice of pizza, and a bodega cat, to name just a few. Whimsical and wacky, these mini prints make fabulous (and affordable at just $1!) holiday gifts. Shop our full gift guide, too. 

Commiserate the Cold
Winter Bitch by Ed Clark, Floor 7 

While the title of this painting, Winter Bitch, refers to a particularly frigid winter spent in Paris, Ed Clark has conceded that several people in his life have questioned if it is actually about them, ha! In Clark’s defense, the colors have an icy hue, and the enormous brushstrokes—a record of the artist’s bodily force and sweeping gestures—evoke the physical effort required to move through a city in winter. Clark made Winter Bitch using a wide housepainter’s brush but he famously painted using push brooms too, over canvases placed on the floor.

A Visit to Toyland
Calder's Circus, Floor 7 

It’s not hard to imagine that when the Museum closes, Calder’s Circus comes to life. This exuberant artwork inspires awe and wonder in children and adults alike. The miniature circus troupe includes animals, clowns, acrobats, and more than one hundred tiny props like nets, flags, carpets, lamps, and musical instruments. In the galleries, watch Alexander Calder perform the work for friends and colleagues, who ate peanuts and used noisemakers while the artist moved the tiny figures and narrated the actions. Calder’s Circus is also an example of the artist’s early exploration of movement—a defining characteristic of his later works.

New Year, New You
Claes Oldenburg’s monument to new beginnings, Floor 7

With a new year comes a new beginning and the opportunity to kick old habits once and for all. This enormous soft sculpture by Claes Oldenburg stands as a monumental reminder to set and keep a New Year’s resolution. The work is so oversized and the surface so supple that the curled and crumpled forms of the discarded cigarettes feel almost human. Are these cigarette butts or the bodies that consumed them? If only we all had a reminder as formidable as this one to keep us on track! 

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