This week, the museums are the center of attention presenting the strongest shows yet in the Hamptons summer season. Visits to Guild Hall, the Pollock-Krasner House and The Parrish should be on the short list of art trips. Luckily, all three shows continue on view into October so there's plenty of time to plan. This week's picks are "Elaine de Kooning Portrayed"; "Roy Lichtenstein: Between Sky and Sea" and "Andreas Gursky: Landscapes".
"Elaine de Kooning Portrayed" at the Pollock-Krasner House & Study Center
Elaine de Kooning's portraits have been the subject of much attention this year with the opening of "Elaine de Kooning: Portraits" at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. The solo show of her portraits reveals the art she was best known for and was curated by Brandon Brame Fortune, the Portrait Gallery’s chief curator and senior curator of painting and sculpture.
In East Hampton, the focus gets turned around with Elaine de Kooning (1918-1989) becoming the subject of portraiture and self-portraiture. The show includes works by Elaine de Kooning, Willem de Kooning, Arshile Gorky, Fairfield Porter, Hedda Sterne, Alex Katz, Robert De Niro, Sr., Ray Johnson, Joop Sanders, Paul Harris and Edvins Strautmanis. The star line up alone is worth the trip.
"Elaine de Kooning Portrayed" remains on view through October 31, 2015. The Pollock-Krasner House & Study Center is located at 830 Springs-Fireplace Road, East Hampton, NY 11937. http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/pkhouse/.
RELATED: “Elaine de Kooning Portrayed”: Absorbing Window into History" by Charles A. Riley II.
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Portrait of Elaine de Kooning by Fairfield Porter.
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"Roy Lichtenstein: Between Sea and Sky" at Guild Hall
Just when you think art by Roy Lichtenstein couldn't hold surprises, an exhibition comes along to set the record straight. Such is the show at Guild Hall that reveals lesser known sides to Roy Lichtenstein's art practice and art. Many works on view in "Between Sea and Sky" reveal a curiosity about material. Show stoppers include art lit by motorized lamps, art on Rowlux, a felt banner, a two-artwork film installation and a wall-sized billboard of a black and white sunset that was reconstructed from a Lichtenstein original intended for a roadside billboard.
"Roy Lichtenstein: Between Sea and Sky" remains on view through October 12, 2015. Guild Hall is located at 158 Main Street, East Hampton, NY 11937. www.guildhall.org.
RELATED: "Guild Hall Lichtenstein Show Stretches Viewers Imagination" by Charles A. Riley II.
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"Sea Shore" by Roy Lichtenstein, 1964. Oil and Magna on Plexiglas, Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Collection, © Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.
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"Andreas Gursky: Landscapes" at the Parrish Art Museum
Love them, hate them or feel something in between, the exhibition of Andreas Gursky's dispassionate and large format photographs are bound to encourage discovery of where your opinion lies on the spectrum. Having the work presented through the curatorial lens of the landscape genre only serves to make the examination even more interesting.
The German photographer is known for creating photographs were the beauty (and intense focus) is found in the details of the monumental size of the images, which are often digitally manipulated to execute specific compositional choices. This specificity extends to the sweeping views of landscapes, architectural subjects, archaeology sites or even throngs of people frequently portrayed in his photography: views are carefully researched and a vantage point selected before Gursky takes to a plane with his camera.
Gursky's work is exhibited and collected by museums around the world. The show at The Parrish is a chance to see his photographs without having far to travel.
"Andreas Gursky: Landscapes" remains on view through October 18, 2015. The Parrish Art Museum is located at 279 Montauk Highway Water Mill, NY 11976. www.parrishart.org.
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"Bangkok IX" by Andreas Gursky, 2011. Inkjet print, 212 x 87 inches. © Andreas Gursky, VG BILD-KUNST, Bonn./ ARS, 2015. Courtesy the artist.
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BASIC FACTS: Three To See presents Hamptons Art Hub’s short list of three exhibitions that shouldn’t be missed on the East End of Long Island.
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