An American Legacy

Accompanying an exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, this volume records an unprecedented gift of postwar art. The gift, from 15 Whitney trustees, encompasses 87 key works by 23 of the most prominent artists to come of age in the 1950s and 1960s, including Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, Elsworth Kelly, Franz Kline, Roy Lichtenstein, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol. Dedicated to the presentation of American art, the Whitney has long supported and exhibited the artists represented in this gift, many from early in their careers. Many of the works illustrated here mark milestones in the development of pivotal American artists. Claes Oldenburg's "Giant BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich)" (1963), for example, is one of the first soft vinyl sculptures for which the artist is best known. Other highlights include 32 works by Jasper Johns and four Ellsworth Kelly paintings.