Tiffany & Co. today announced that it has signed a long-term partnership agreement with the Whitney Museum of American Art to be the lead sponsor of the Whitney Biennial, the foremost exhibition of contemporary American art with an illustrious history of discovering new artists.

The agreement calls for Tiffany to sponsor the next three biennials in 2017, 2019 and 2021. The 2017 exhibition will be the first held in the new Whitney Museum, designed by celebrated architect Renzo Piano and set to open at 99 Gansevoort Street in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, on May 1, 2015.

"Tiffany, like the Whitney, was born of a spirit of innovation and devotion to creativity, so to partner with the Museum at this exciting moment in its history, is significant for both these great New York City institutions,” said Frédéric Cumenal, chief executive officer of Tiffany & Co. “Through our support of the Biennial, we are thrilled to champion the Museum’s mission to give emerging artists and their work high-level exposure on a global scale, while continuing our century-old tradition of supporting cultural experiences that create meaningful conversations and bring new ideas in art, design and popular culture to the forefront.”

“The Whitney is delighted to partner with Tiffany to present the next three Whitney Biennials, beginning in 2017. For more than eighty years, the Biennial has been a testament to the Museum’s commitment to contemporary artists and art-making. The Biennial is world-renowned for encapsulating the spirit and creativity of the artists of our time. We applaud Tiffany’s history of supporting American innovation and imagination, and look forward to this next exciting chapter of the Biennial in the Museum’s new building,” said Adam D. Weinberg, the Whitney’s Alice Pratt Brown Director.

A sponsorship of such duration is unprecedented for Tiffany and reflects the shared commitment of two great American institutions, whose founders were dedicated to art and the pursuit of originality. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, who founded the museum in 1930, was a passionate advocate for American artists, seeking out works that she felt had both significance and beauty. Charles Lewis Tiffany established America’s leading design and luxury brand in 1837 and with it, a commitment to New York’s cultural treasures. He was a founding trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art; and on behalf of Mr. Tiffany, financier J.P. Morgan purchased the minerals and gemstones from the jeweler’s historic exhibit at the 1889 Paris World’s Fair and donated them to the American Museum of Natural History. The company has continued this tradition with support for the Museum of the City of New York and Museum of Arts and Design, among many other institutions around the world.

About Tiffany

Tiffany is the internationally-renowned jeweler founded in New York in 1837. Through its subsidiaries, Tiffany & Co. manufactures products and operates TIFFANY & CO. retail stores worldwide, and also engages in direct selling through Internet, catalog and business gift operations. For additional information, please visit www.tiffany.com or call our shareholder information line at 800-TIF-0110.

About the Whitney

The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875−1942), houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Mrs. Whitney, an early and ardent supporter of modern American art, nurtured groundbreaking artists at a time when audiences were still largely preoccupied with the Old Masters. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the best art of the United States for more than eighty years. The core of the Whitney’s mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists themselves, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today.

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