John MacWhinnie

John MacWhinnie (1945–2025) was an American painter and draftsman raised in Rockville Centre and later Southampton, NY. He studied philosophy and art at Southampton College of Long Island University, graduating magna cum laude, and went on to study painting in Greenwich Village under Larry Rivers. His work reflects the influence of Willem de Kooning, Fairfield Porter, and Alex Katz — described by New York Times critic David Shirey as work that "nimbly and effectively bridges imperatives of abstract and representational art."

His career gained traction in the 1970s: the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum acquired his painting The Studio in 1975, and his work was also shown at the Brooklyn Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He joined Marlborough Gallery in 1978, and became known for portraiture, including subjects such as Truman Capote, Marcel Duchamp, Willem de Kooning, and John Ashbery. He received the Prize for Excellence in Painting from the Heckscher Museum and First Prize for Painting at the Parrish Art Museum.

He exhibited widely on Long Island and in New York, including at Tibor de Nagy Gallery, Castelli Gallery, Brata Gallery, and Guild Hall. He continued painting at his studio in Water Mill, NY, into his final years, and died there on October 11, 2025, at age 80.