Sean Scully at Lisson Gallery in East Hampton
3 September 2020
Lisson Gallery is pleased to present a new painting and watercolor by Sean Scully in East Hampton. Working to develop his own unique style over the past five decades, Scully is one of the most important painters of his generation, with his work held in esteemed museums worldwide, as well as significant private collections.
The painting on view, Mirror Red (2020) is a rare, intimately sized example of Scully’s iconic Mirror series. Scully often uses this format — a field of stripes that is divided into two equal parts that resemble, but do not in fact, mirror one another. The juxtaposition of the differing planes creates an energetic contrast and embodies principles at the core of Scully’s practice — the possibilities of abstraction and the enduring transformation of the line. In Mirror Red the five lines of blue and orange on the right side engage in a dialogue with the six deeply contrasting red and black lines on the left. The gesture is additionally amplified in the decision to paint on copper, whose surface is responsive to every move of the brush. Scully further investigates this compelling format in the watercolor, Landline Diptych 1.31.20 (2020). Using his signature horizontal Landline format, inspired by nature’s horizon line, Scully exercises his painterly freedom through the choice and juxtaposition of a range of colors, from light pinks to deep maroon, stacked alongside shades of tan and yellow.
Scully’s highly anticipated exhibition at Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden in Wuppertal, Germany opened in June and runs until 3 January 2021. The presentation features a selection of monumental sculpture installed outdoors in the over thirty acres of forest, alongside new paintings and additional sculpture in the indoor gallery space at the park’s summit. The works on view highlight the dynamism of Scully’s practice, executed in a variety of scale and utilizing a multitude of materials, including stone, steel, wood and Murano glass.
For its inauguration this summer, Lisson Gallery’s 1,000 square foot East Hampton space will present exhibitions focused on both seminal, historic artworks and premiere new bodies of work. Previous artists on view include Stanley Whitney, Carmen Herrera, Anish Kapoor, Van Hanos and Joanna Pousette-Dart. This focused format, in an intimate setting, recalls the origins of Lisson Gallery, which was established in 1967 in a storefront window on London’s Bell Street. The Long Island location of the new space joins Lisson’s two other galleries in the New York area, including the recent expansion to a second location on West 24th Street in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.
The gallery will be open to the public Thursday to Monday, from 11am to 4pm. The health and safety of visitors remains a top priority, and strict measures will be implemented in the space to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. A mask will be required for entry, and hand sanitizer will be provided. Please click here for further details about the guidelines and to schedule an appointment.
