Stanley Whitney

American • b. 1946

Biography

Inspired by Renaissance painting, Minimalist sculpture and jazz music, Stanley Whitney’s oeuvre has become central to the current discourse of abstract painting in the contemporary era. Following recent solo exhibitions at the Modern Art Museum, Fort Worth and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, the 72-year-old artist has only just received the critical acclaim he deserves. After moving to New York from Philadelphia at the age of 22, Whitney aligned himself with the Color Field painters, often working in the shadows of his contemporaries including Frank Stella and Kenneth Noland. Throughout the decades that followed, however, the artist soon established himself as a key player in 20th century abstraction, traveling the world and gaining recognition not only in the studio, but also in the classroom, where he has taught Painting and Drawing at the Tyler School of Art for over 30 years. As such, Whitney’s influence extends to a generation of new artists exploring the formal tenants of painting today.

As Lauren Haynes, curator of Whitney’s solo show at the Studio Museum in 2015, aptly wrote, “Whitney’s work interrogates the connections among colors, how they lead to and away from one another, what memories they are associated with…Whitney’s colors take on lives of their own. They evoke memory and nostalgia. This orange takes you back to your favorite childhood t-shirt; that blue reminds you of your grandmother’s kitchen. Whitney’s paintings remind us, on a universal scale, of the ability of color to trigger feelings and sensations.”

Insights

Whitney earned his BFA in 1968 at the Kansas City Art Institute and his MFA from Yale University in 1972.

Upcoming Lots

362
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
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51
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate HK$50,000 - 70,000
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Past Lots

142
Stanley Whitney
Stay Songs
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
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143
Stanley Whitney
Stay Songs
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $12,700
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50
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate £20,000 - 30,000
Sold for £20,320
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370
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate $5,000 - 8,000
Sold for $13,970
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38
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate £25,000 - 35,000
Sold for £43,180
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42
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate £30,000 - 40,000
Sold for £38,100
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89
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate £20,000 - 30,000
Sold for £40,640
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326
Stanley Whitney
Stay Song 27
Estimate HK$1,800,000 - 2,800,000
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16
Stanley Whitney
The Last Cowboy Song
Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for HK$5,080,000
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83
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $44,450
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344
Stanley Whitney
Blue in Green
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $327,600
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428
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $44,100
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429
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $69,300
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14
Stanley Whitney
May Day
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000
Sold for £627,500
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155
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate HK$700,000 - 900,000
Sold for HK$945,000
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85
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate £20,000 - 30,000
Sold for £88,200
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323
Stanley Whitney
Untitled (#4)
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $132,300
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9
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $176,400
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313
Stanley Whitney
Stay Song 21
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $693,000
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400
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $40,320
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360
Stanley Whitney
Untitled
Estimate $2,000 - 3,000
Sold for $4,788
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108
Stanley Whitney
Iraqi Blues
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000
Sold for £302,400
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314
Stanley Whitney
Stay Song 40
Estimate $70,000 - 100,000
Sold for $214,200
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208
Stanley Whitney
Stay Song 19
Estimate £50,000 - 70,000
Sold for £93,240
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