Robert Whitman

b. 1935–2024 Lived and worked in New York

Robert Whitman was an American artist known for his work in performance art and multimedia installation. His work emphasized the spatial, temporal, and dimensional qualities of images, aiming to transform and transcend their limits. He was a leading figure in New York’s Happenings movement from the late 1950s through the early 1960s and co-founded Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.), a nonprofit organization dedicated to collaboration between artists and engineers.

Whitman also composed and produced over forty performance works. His works are held in international collections including Centre Pompidou, Paris; Dia Art Foundation, New York; The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C; and Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.