Flora Miller Biddle

Last updated
Flora Miller Biddle
Born
Flora Miller

1928
Education Barnard College
Manhattanville College
OccupationPatron of the arts
Spouses
Michael Henry Irving
​
​
(m. 1947;div. 1979)​
Sydney Francis Biddle
​
​
(died)​
Children4, including Fiona Donovan
Parent(s) Flora Payne Whitney
George Macculloch Miller III
Family Whitney family
Vanderbilt family

Flora Miller Biddle (born 1928) is an American author, honorary chairman, and former president of the Whitney Museum of American Art, serving from 1977 to 1995. [1] She is a granddaughter of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, the founder of the Whitney Museum. [2] [3]

Contents

Biography

Biddle was born to Flora Payne Whitney, a daughter of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and Harry Payne Whitney. Gertrude was a great-granddaughter of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt while Harry was a son of William Collins Whitney, former United States Secretary of the Navy in the Cleveland administration and a descendant of Eli Whitney, inventor of the Cotton gin. [4]

She attended Barnard College but dropped out in 1947 to marry Michael Henry Irving (1923-2003), a Harvard graduate who served in the Navy. He later received a degree from Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and became an architect. Irving was the son of Carolyn Mann Irving (1891-1987) and Evelyn duPont Irving (1886-1968), a nephew of Washington Irving and descendant of Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, founder of the DuPont company. [5] They married in June 1947 and had four children. [6] [7]

She became a museum trustee in 1958 and president of the Whitney in 1977. [6] [8] During her tenure as president of the Whitney Museum of American Art, she worked closely with director Thomas N. Armstrong III to expand the museum's modern art collection and was responsible for the fundraising. [2] Biddle once rode in the trunk of a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus elephant on Madison Avenue in a nationally publicized stunt to help acquire Cirque Calder into the museum's permanent collection. [2] [9] She also oversaw the moving of the museum into the Marcel Breuer-designed structure on 945 Madison Avenue in the Upper East Side. [8]

Biddle obtained her degree from Manhattanville College in 1978. From 1980 to 1990, she served on the New York City Art Commission. [10]

She divorced Irving in 1979 and married Sydney Francis Biddle (1918-2004), a lawyer turned artist trained at Harvard College and Columbia Law School. Biddle was a member of the Biddle family of Philadelphia and a nephew of Francis Biddle, who was Attorney General of the United States during World War II and the main American judge during the Nuremberg trials. [11] [12] [13]

She stepped down as president and chairman during the mid-1990s. Her daughter, Fiona Donovan, a Barnard College and Columbia University-trained art historian, [14] served as trustee until 2003. Donovan was brought back to the board in 2014 by director Adam D. Weinberg. [2] [15] Biddle's granddaughters, fifth-generation members of the Whitney family, Flora Donovan and Flora Irving, were also made trustees of the Whitney in the same year. [2]

Written works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Museum</span> Art museum in Lower Manhattan, New York City

The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a modern and contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. The institution was originally founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), a prominent American socialite, sculptor, and art patron after whom it is named.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Modern Art</span> Art museum in New York City, U.S.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The institution was conceived in 1929 by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Lillie P. Bliss, and Mary Quinn Sullivan. Initially located in the Heckscher Building on Fifth Avenue, it opened just days after the Wall Street Crash. The museum, America's first devoted exclusively to modern art, was led by A. Conger Goodyear as president and Abby Rockefeller as treasurer, with Alfred H. Barr Jr. as its first director. Under Barr's leadership, the museum's collection rapidly expanded, beginning with an inaugural exhibition of works by European modernists. Despite financial challenges, including opposition from John D. Rockefeller Jr., the museum moved to several temporary locations in its early years, and John D. Rockefeller Jr. eventually donated the land for its permanent site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloria Vanderbilt</span> American artist, author, actress, and designer (1924–2019)

Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, and socialite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney</span> American sculptor, art patron and collector (1875–1942)

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, who was born into the wealthy Vanderbilt family and married into the Whitney family.

The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy. Cornelius Vanderbilt's descendants went on to build grand mansions on Fifth Avenue in New York City; luxurious "summer cottages" in Newport, Rhode Island; the palatial Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina; and various other opulent homes. The family also built Berkshire cottages in the western region of Massachusetts; examples include Elm Court.

du Pont family Wealthy American family

The du Pont family or Du Pont family is a prominent American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). It has been one of the richest families in the United States since the mid-19th century, when it founded its fortune in the gunpowder business. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it expanded its wealth through the chemical industry and the automotive industry, with substantial interests in the DuPont company, General Motors, and various other corporations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Payne Whitney</span> American businessman and horse breeder

Harry Payne Whitney was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney family</span> Notable American family

The Whitney family is a prominent American family descended from English immigrant John Whitney (1592–1673), who left London in 1635 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. The historic family mansion in Watertown, known as The Elms, was built for the Whitneys in 1710. The Whitneys today occupy a distinguished position in American society as a result of their entrepreneurship, wealth, and philanthropy. They are also members of the Episcopal Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney</span> American businessman

Cornelius "Sonny" Vanderbilt Whitney was an American businessman, film producer, government official, writer and philanthropist. He was also a polo player and the owner of a significant stable of Thoroughbred racehorses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Francis du Pont</span> American horticulturist, collector, and founder of Winterthur Museum (1880–1969)

Henry Francis du Pont was an American horticulturist, collector of early American furniture and decorative arts, breeder of Holstein Friesian cattle, and scion of the powerful du Pont family. Converted into a museum in 1951, his estate of Winterthur in Delaware is the world's premier museum of American furniture and decorative arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora Payne Whitney</span> American artist and socialite

Flora Payne Whitney, also known as Flora Whitney Miller, was an American artist and socialite, art collector, and patron of the arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberta Smith</span> American art critic (born 1948)

Roberta Smith is co-chief art critic of The New York Times and a lecturer on contemporary art. She is the first woman to hold that position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William du Pont Jr.</span> American banker and racehorse breeder (1896–1965)

William du Pont Jr. was an English-born American businessman and banker, and a prominent figure in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. He developed and designed more than 20 racing venues, including Fair Hill at his 5,000-acre estate in Maryland. A member of the Delaware Du Pont family, he was the son of William du Pont and Annie Rogers Zinn, and brother to Marion duPont Scott, a noted horsewoman and breeder.

Bernard Harper Friedman, better known by his initials, "B. H.," or known as Bob to his friends was an American author and art critic who wrote biographies of Jackson Pollock and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, a number of novels that combined his experiences in the worlds of art and business, and an autobiographical account of his use of psychedelic drugs with Timothy Leary.

<i>The Three Graces</i> (Whitney) Outdoor fountain and sculpture in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Three Graces, also known as Carytid Fountain Group, Friendship Fountain, The Three Bares, and Three Bares Fountain, is an outdoor fountain and sculpture by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, installed in 1931 at Montreal's McGill University, in Quebec, Canada.

Eve Biddle is a contemporary American artist and co-founder and co-director of the arts organization The Wassaic Project. With her husband, Joshua Frankel, she creates public art murals including Queens is the Future and print art for exhibition. She is also a member of the board at Working Assumptions, a foundation dedicated to the intersection of art and family, best known for its photographic depictions of pregnant women at work.

Gertrude Huston was an American artist and illustrator known for designing book covers for New Directions.

Geoffrey Biddle is an American photographer best known for his depictions of street scenes in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 1970s. His photographs have appeared in publications ranging from The NY Times to Granta, in several books, and on exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art and in the collection of the Walker Art Center. His work is included in the permanent collection at MoMA. He is a member of the board at Working Assumptions, a foundation dedicated to the intersection of art and family, best known for its work guiding assignments on the intersection of work and family in high school photography classes and photographic depictions of pregnant women at work. The photography project, Showing, features some of Geoffrey's photographs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">945 Madison Avenue</span> Museum building in New York City

945 Madison Avenue, also known as the Breuer Building, is a museum building in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. The Marcel Breuer-designed structure was built to house the Whitney Museum of American Art; it subsequently held a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art followed by the temporary quarters to the Frick Collection. In 2024 the Frick will relocate and the building will become headquarters to the international auction house Sotheby's.

References

  1. ↑ Biddle, Flora Miller. (2017). The Whitney Women and the Museum They Made : a Family Memoir. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN   978-1-62872-809-5. OCLC   1076476310.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kazanjian, Dodie. "Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's Heirs Are Back on the Board at the Family's Spanking-New Museum". Vogue. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Michelle Obama: The Whitney Is for 'Dreaming'". Vulture. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  4. ↑ Columnist, DR TOM MACK. "ARTS AND HUMANITIES: Aiken-based memoir republished last year". Aiken Standard. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Hagley Museum and Library: Carolyn M. Irving collection of prints and photographs (1969.065) -- Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department". findingaids.hagley.org. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  6. 1 2 "The Whitney Women and the Museum They Made". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Patricia Rainford Wed To Michael H. Irving". The New York Times. July 12, 1981. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Weber, Nicholas Fox (February 13, 2000). "Inheriting a Museum". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  9. ↑ "CALDER'S CIRCUS: The Artist as Reporter and Inventor". Voices in Contemporary Art. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Flora Biddle". kentpresents.org. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  11. ↑ "Paid Notice: Deaths BIDDLE, SYDNEY FRANCIS". The New York Times. December 7, 2004. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  12. ↑ Biddle, Geoffrey. (2009). Sydney and Flora. Moore, Susanna. New York City: Turtle Point Press. ISBN   978-1-933527-30-7. OCLC   318877218.
  13. ↑ "biddle-descendants - Main". www.picton.us. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  14. ↑ "FIONA IRVING BECOMES A BRIDE". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Whitney Stories: Fiona Donovan". whitney.org. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.