Stanley Whitney on His Show at New York’s Studio Museum in Harlem

Julia Felsenthal | Vogue | 20th July 2015

Whitney knew from early on that colour was central to his art. As a young artist he drew inspiration from Velasquez, Mondrian and others but then had to resist the drumbeat of 1970’s Minimalism which deemed colour to be superficial. Only during a 1990’s visit to Egypt’s pyramids did he finally get his “Ah-ha” moment. His first ever museum show in New York has produced a flurry of reviews and the unmistakable sound of an artist’s reputation being significantly upgraded.