An Artistic Friendship: Howard Gardiner Cushing & Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney

Join Alexandra Howard Cushing and art historian Fiona Donovan for a compelling conversation about the enduring friendship between Howard Gardiner Cushing and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney inspired by Howard Gardiner Cushing: A Harmony of Line and Color. Moderated by Dodie Kazanjian of Newport Curates, the discussion will explore the creative worlds of these two influential figures, the pivotal role of the Whitney Studio, and the vibrant circle of artists who gathered there at the dawn of American modernism.

Fiona Donovan is a New York-based writer and art historian, currently working on a book on the American artist and patron, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. She received her B.A. from Barnard College and Ph.D. from Columbia University in art history, and has worked as a teacher and curator. Donovan is the author of Jasper Johns: Pictures within Pictures, 1980-2015 (Thames & Hudson, 2017; a New York Times Best Art Book of 2017) and Rubens and England (Yale University Press, 2004), as well as numerous essays and articles, including “The Whitney’s Founder and Her Spanish Statue,” New York
Times, Oct. 13, 2019. She serves on the board of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

Alexandra Howard holds a master’s degree in Architectural History from the University of Virginia, an MBA from Columbia University, and is a graduate from Sarah Lawrence College. A descendant of the artist Howard Gardiner Cushing, Alexandra has devoted herself to documenting his life and preserving his legacy. She initiated the conservation and removal of theWhitney Studio Mural, and sought funding for the project. She is also a docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.