The former Roy Lichtenstein studio has been fully renovated by the Whitney Museum of American Art and transformed into a permanent home for the institution's Independent Study Program, which has nurtured artists, critics and scholars with space, instruction and support for their studies over the past 55 years. Located in New York’s Greenwich Village, the project was a gift by Dorothy Lichenstein, the artist’s wife, and his estate. The renovation was overseen by the architecture firm Johnston Marklee, and involved a series of thoughtful modifications to the 100-year-old building, a former metalworking shop.
Originally constructed in 1912, the building was bought by Lichtenstein in 1987. The artist used it for his residence and studio between 1988 and 1997. Johnston Marklee – also behind the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston – was tasked with adding modern artist studios, a seminar room, study rooms, outdoor spaces, an artist-in-residence space on the third floor and additional amenities, such as lounges and dining areas, while preserving the building’s legacy and integrity.
