NEW YORK — On May 1, a light show crafted by LD Marc Brickman and inspired by Whitney Museum artwork from Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko, Georgia O’Keeffe and Edward Hopper, among others, will bring attention to the opening of the new Whitney Museum of American Art. The new building, designed by Renzo Piano, is the white building in the foreground of this shot that includes the Empire State Building.
The lightshow, made possible through the building’s conversion from conventional uplighting with gels to color-changing LED technology in recent years, also coincides with 84th anniversary of the museum, which had been located in a Marcel Breuer-designed building at Madison Ave. and East 75th St. from 1966 to 2014.
Brickman first leveraged the full potential of the color-changing LED technology with a light show synched with an Alicia Keys radio broadcast in late 2012. (More details at http://plsn.com/wp/news/21-news/10219). In preparation for the May 1 light show, the production team also staged a run-through of sorts the week prior.
The museum, founded by sculptor and arts patron Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in 1930, opened its first location on West Eighth Street in Greenwich Village in 1931. It has maintained its focus over the years on contemporary American art. The May 1 light show will display Brickman’s lighting designs inspired by these works rather than an exact duplications of the artwork itself; more of an uplit abstraction rather than a pixel-perfect large format projection.
More details from the Empire State Realty Trust (www.empirestaterealtytrust.com) and Whitney Museum of American Art (www.whitney.org):
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. announced that the Empire State Building (ESB) will partner with the Whitney Museum of American Art to design a one-of-a-kind light show, showcasing an interpretation of works of American art from the Whitney’s collection. The light show, taking place on Friday, May 1, 2015, will unite the two icons as they mark historic occasions: the opening day of the Whitney’s new building in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District and the 84th anniversary of ESB.
Internationally-acclaimed lighting designer Marc Brickman will interpret twelve iconic works from the Whitney’s collection by artists including Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, Peter Halley and Barbara Kruger, utilizing the building’s LED tower lights to create a dynamic show. Beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 1, each artwork-inspired lighting display will be showcased on the architectural landmark for thirty minutes, with the light show ending at 2 a.m. on Saturday, May 2. Most of the works that inspired the light show will be on view at the Whitney as part of the new building’s inaugural exhibition, America Is Hard to See, May 1-September 27, 2015.
“The Empire State Building has brought music, sports and elections to life with our state-of-the-art lighting system, and now we’re delighted to showcase the impressive artwork of the Whitney Museum of American Art,” said Anthony E. Malkin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ESRT. “Our partnership with the Whitney will give the people of New York a celebration of two of the city’s iconic institutions.”
To kick off the celebration, ESB will host a lighting ceremony for invited media and guests on May 1. John B. Kessler, President and Chief Operating Officer of Empire State Realty Trust; Adam D. Weinberg, the Whitney’s Alice Pratt Brown Director; Donna De Salvo, the Whitney’s Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Programs; and some of the artists whose work will be interpreted in the light show will jointly flip the “switch” and light ESB in celebratory colors.
A special viewing for museum visitors will be held at the Whitney’s new building at 99 Gansevoort Street on Friday, May 1, from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m., which has stunning views of ESB from its four, east-facing terraces. The works can be viewed online at www.whitney.org/ESB.
“We’re thrilled to see these incredible works from the Whitney’s collection interpreted on one of the most iconic buildings in the world—one that has been the subject of many an artist’s work,” said Donna De Salvo, the Whitney’s chief curator and deputy director for programs. “We can’t imagine a more spectacular way in which to signal the opening of our new building and celebrate the art and artists of the United States.”
Featured Artworks:
- Georgia O’Keeffe, Music Pink and Blue No. 2, 1918
- Edward Hopper, Railroad Sunset, 1929
- Chiura Obata, Evening Glow of Yosemite Fall, 1930
- Mary Ellen Bute, Synchromy No. 4: Escape, 1937-1938
- William H. Johnson, Blind Singer, c.1942
- Mark Rothko, Untitled (Blue, Yellow, Green on Red), 1954
- Jasper Johns, Three Flags, 1958
- Andy Warhol, Flowers, 1970
- Elizabeth Murray, Children Meeting, 1978
- Peter Halley, Blue Cell with Triple Conduit, 1986
- Barbara Kruger, We Don’t Need Another Hero, 1987
- Cory Arcangel, Super Mario Clouds, 2002
About the Empire State Building
Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan (from base to antenna), the Empire State Building, owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., is the “World’s Most Famous Office Building.” With new investments in energy efficiency, infrastructure, public areas and amenities, the Empire State Building has attracted first-rate tenants in a diverse array of industries from around the world. The skyscraper’s robust broadcasting technology supports all major television and FM radio stations in the New York metropolitan market. The Empire State Building was named America’s favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects, and the Empire State Building Observatory is one of the world’s most beloved attractions as the region’s #1 tourist destination.
About Empire State Realty Trust
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a leading real estate investment trust (REIT), owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area, including the Empire State Building, the world’s most famous office building. Headquartered in New York, New York, the Company’s office and retail portfolio covers 10.0 million rentable square feet, as of December 31 2014, consisting of 9.3 million rentable square feet in 14 office properties, including nine in Manhattan, three in Fairfield County, Connecticut and two in Westchester County, New York; and approximately 728,000 rentable square feet in the retail portfolio.
About the Whitney
The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942), houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Mrs. Whitney, an early and ardent supporter of modern American art, nurtured groundbreaking artists at a time when audiences were still largely preoccupied with the Old Masters. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for more than eighty years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists themselves, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is new and influential in American art today.
