The Newport Art Museum has launched the Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Society, a new fund designed to support dynamic and ambitious exhibition programming at the Bellevue Avenue institution.
The initiative, first previewed at the opening of the Members’ Show Exhibition, will be shared with the broader museum community at the upcoming Julie Keyes Gallery Pop Up at Palm Beach Modern Auctions on Friday, Feb. 13. The society is named in honor of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, a charter member of the Newport Art Association, the forerunner of today’s museum.
“The exhibitions we have presented over the course of the past year represent a period of extraordinary momentum for the Museum,” Executive Director Harry Philbrick said. “The Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Society Fund will allow us to build on this success by supporting ambitious exhibitions, meaningful collaborations, and projects that connect Newport’s artistic past with the most compelling voices of today and tomorrow.”
The fund will directly support the development and presentation of major forthcoming projects, including “Sheila Isham: Between Worlds,” opening in conjunction with the museum’s Summer Art Party on July 10, and a regional exhibition devoted to Edward Mitchell Bannister planned for 2028. The Bannister exhibition will be developed in collaboration with the Rhode Island School of Design, Rhode Island College, Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, Providence Art Club, Newport Historical Society and other partners.
Recent exhibitions at the museum — including “Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Ocean Front, 50 Years Later,” “Sean Landers: Lost at Sea” and “Howard Gardiner Cushing: A Harmony of Line and Color” — reflect what museum leaders describe as a period of significant growth and community engagement.
“This fund will allow the Museum to explore and collaborate on new, impactful exhibitions that demonstrate our continued commitment to providing the Newport community and beyond with curatorial excellence,” said Ellen Bowman, a member of the museum’s board of trustees.
Members of the Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Society will become part of the Patron Society and be credited on all exhibition materials in 2026. They will also be featured in the Summer Art Party program and receive VIP access to exhibition openings and events.
The launch of the fund coincides with the presentation of “Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in Bakst Costume with Fleurs du Mal” (1911-12), a painting by Howard Gardiner Cushing now on view as part of the museum’s current Cushing exhibition.
Whitney, who lived from 1875 to 1942, was an American sculptor and one of the most influential arts patrons of the early 20th century. After joining the Art Association of Newport as an artist member in 1917, she played a pivotal role in strengthening the organization’s exhibitions, collections and institutional future, including helping to realize the construction of the Cushing Memorial Building.
For information on supporting the fund, contact the museum’s advancement director, Susan Hanley, at 631-599-1950 or shanley@newportartmuseum.org.
