Before New Year's Eve arrives and pushes the calendar forward another year, Hamptons Art Hub has taken time to consider exhibitions in The Hamptons and East End and compiled a list of the Top Art Exhibitions in 2016. Presented in no particular order, following are 13 exhibitions that made our list for the best art shows in 2016.
1. "Water/Bodies" at Southampton Arts Center
Selected by: James Croak
Exhibited: June 24 - July 31, 2016
Why Selected: A large, satisfying and varied show of East End artists who are involved with the New York Academy of Art, the premier figurative graduate school. An even and enjoyable exhibit and, like the Parrish Art Museum's "Artists Choose Artists," also curated by artists.
Read a review here.
Southampton Arts Center is located at 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton, NY 11968. southamptonartscenter.org.
.
"Receive" by Reisha Perlmutter, 2016. 48 x 82 inches.
.
2. “Adrian Nivola: Sculpture” at The Drawing Room
Selected by: Charles A. Riley II
Exhibited: July 29 - August 29, 2016
Why Selected: Musically inspired sculpture meticulously crafted from wood and metal that silently give the downbeat to set in motion viewer’s inner symphonies. A blend of Giacometti and Twombly with its own personal touch.
Read a review here.
The Drawing Room is located at 66H Newtown Lane, East Hampton, NY 11937. www.drawingroom-gallery.com.
.
"The First Player" by Adrian Nivola, 2016. Wood, Steel, wire, player piano paper, tin, enamel, 3 1/4 x 16 x 3 1/2 inches. Courtesy of The Drawing Room.
.
3. "POST" by Basco Vazko at the Watermill Center
Selected by: Pat Rogers
Exhibited: March 26 – June 17, 2016
Why Selected: Chilean artist Basco Vazko transformed a single room at the Watermill Center into a tropical paradise rift with dangers of the social and political kinds. The combination of design objects, a multi-sensory atmosphere and new mixed media works presented an installation of conceptual commentary on contemporary American society with a collage-graffiti vibe. The installation exhibition sprung from Vazko's examination of news headlines published by the New York Post during his residency at Watermill Center. "POST" provided an immersive atmosphere to examine what makes headlines and the truths they can reveal after searching through the thicket.
Watermill Center is located at 39 Water Mill Towd Rd, Water Mill, NY 11976. www.watermillcenter.org.
.
Artwork by Basco Vazko. Courtesy of Watermill Center.
.
4.“Ramiro | Sanchez” at Grenning Gallery
Selected by: Charles A. Riley II
Exhibited: August 27 - September 25, 2016
Why Selected: A husband-and-wife show transporting us in time (to the era of academic fluency) and place (Florence) that proved how impromptu gestures can raise realism to the level of poetry while evading the possible trap of remaining prosaically photographic.
Read a review here.
Grenning Gallery is located at 17 Washington Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. www.Grenninggallery.com.
.
"Allegory of Chopin (Nocturne)" by Ramiro, 2016. Oil on canvas, 29.5 x 41.5 inches. Courtesy of Grenning Gallery.
.
5. "Artists Choose Artists" at the Parrish Art Museum
Selected by: James Croak & Pat Rogers
Exhibited: October 30, 2016 - January 16, 2017
Why Selected - JC: A solid show of work picked by experts, items not often seen, with much that flies beneath the fickle curator radar.
Why Selected - PR: The exhibition is an art discovery presenting unexpected works along with a thick slice of artist talents who make The Hamptons and East End their home. The curation encourages contemplation of individual art works through the installation of art in conversation with its neighbors, linked by themes or similar concerns explored by selected artists for the biennial exhibition.
Read a review here.
The Parrish Art Museum is located at 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY 11976. www.parrishart.org.
.
"2-14-15" by Bill Komoski. Photo by James Croak.
.
6. “Celebration of Larry Rivers” at Vered Gallery
Selected by: Pat Rogers
Exhibited: July 28 - September 5, 2016
Why Selected: "Celebration of Larry Rivers" has a staying power that continues to reverberate even as the exhibition becomes part of Hamptons art history. Focusing on two series of work, the art allowed examining of innovations by Rivers that continue to contribute to conversations on art making today. The two series presented Larry Rivers in esteem as an forwarding looking artist and provided a look into his process with documents made in the creation of some of the art.
Read a review here.
Vered Gallery (now Janet Lehr Inc) is located at 68 Park Place, East Hampton, NY 11937. www.veredart.com.
.
"Me and My Shadow / Shadow and Substance" by Larry Rivers, 1970. Canvas, plastic, wood and plexi, 76.5 x 21.5 x 6 inches. Courtesy of Vered Gallery.
.
7. "Peter Beard: Last Word from Paradise" at Guild Hall
Selected by: James Croak
Exhibited: June 18 - July 31, 2016
Why Selected: A delightful show of collages by a singular artist shuttling back and forth between Montauk and Kenya, with the glitterati ever in tow.
Read a review here.
Guild Hall is located at 158 Main Street, East Hampton NY 11937. www.GuildHall.org.
.
"Karen Blixen, Dec. 3rd, Ramses, Kikuyu Chief Dageretti" by Peter Beard, 1955 – 1961.
.
8. "Vincent Pepi: Over 50 Years Of Painting" at Quogue Gallery
Selected by: Charles A. Riley II
Exhibited: June 16 - July 14, 2016
Why Selected: A stunning chromatic extravaganza from a living link to the Abstract Expressionist movement that made Manhattan the capital of the art world. One in a series of “re-discovery” shows that is making the Quogue Gallery a destination for lovers of AbEx painting.
Read a review here.
Quogue Gallery is located at 44 Quogue Street, Quogue, NY 11959. www.Quoguegallery.com.
.
"C-Melody" by Vincent Pepi, 1978. Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches.
.
9. “Connie Fox and William King, An Artist Couple” at Guild Hall
Selected by: Pat Rogers
Exhibited: October 22 - December 31, 2016
Why Selected: The two-person exhibition presents an expanse of art made by Connie Fox or William King over several decades. The exhibition takes the art a step further by reflecting on the pair's shared life as husband and wife. Their marriage didn't require or encourage the melding of their art practices and each continued to make art distinct from each other and true to their respective art journeys. The art on view seems even more impressive because of it.
Read a review here.
Guild Hall is located at 158 Main Street, East Hampton, NY 11937. www.guildhall.org.
.
"Marcel’s Star: You don’t have to be a star baby to be in my show" by Connie Fox, 1993. Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 65 inches. From the collection of Connie Fox. Courtesy of Guild Hall.
.
10. "Solarplate 2016" at Alex Ferrone Gallery
Selected by: Charles A. Riley II
Exhibited: October 1, 2016 - November 13, 2016
Why Selected: Pure photographic lyricism in a juried show selected by the “Sun King” himself, Dan Welden, who invented the method and has been mentor to many of the artists included.
Alex Ferrone Gallery is located at 25425 Main Road, Cutchogue, NY 11935. www.alexferronegallery.com.
.
"Sandro's Dream" by Chiarina Loggia, 2013. Photopolymer Gravure Monoprint, 12 x 16 inches. Courtesy Alex Ferrone Gallery.
.
11. "Radical Seafaring" at The Parrish Art Museum
Selected by: Pat Rogers
Exhibited: May 8 - July 24, 2016
Why Selected: A trail blazing exhibition that linked art made in conjunction with open waters as an international art movement. Presenting artist explorations, projects and individual art works curated across historical and geographic divides, the artist projects were especially engaging. Overall, the exhibition was a compelling one and encouraged contemplation and dialogue on the forms art can take.
Read a review here.
The Parrish Art Museum is located at 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY 11976. www.parrishart.org.
.
“Gardiners Island” by Scott Bluedorn, 2016. Ballpoint pen on paper, 33.5 x 45 inches.
.
12."Peter Lipman-Wulf: Watercolors From France" at Romany Kramoris Gallery
Selected by: Pat Rogers
Exhibited: October 1, 2016 - October 31, 2016
Why Selected: Lyrical watercolor paintings installed on all four walls of Romany Kramoris's artisan shop and art gallery were enchanting and beckoned for a closer look. Depicting landscape and cityscapes of France and Switzerland, the carefree compositions belied Peter Lipman-Wulf’s circumstance as a Jewish German living in exile after being labeled as a decadent when the Nazi's came to power. Known primarily as a sculptor, paintings by Lipman-Wulf have been rarely exhibited, contributing to the sense of discovering an art jewel in the fall exhibition season in The Hamptons.
Read a story here.
Romany Kramoris Gallery is located at 41 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. www.kramorisgallery.com.
.
"Cote-d'Azur" by Peter Lipman-Wulf, 1950. Courtesy of Romany Kramoris Gallery.
.
13. "As We Lay Dying" by Bruce High Quality Foundation at Watermill Center
Selected by: Pat Rogers
Exhibited: July 30, 2016 & August 14, 2016
Why Selected: "As We Lay Dying" was a series of works specifically developed and installed by the Bruce High Quality Foundation (BHQF) of Brooklyn on the outdoor grounds of the Watermill Center for visitors to discover during its summer benefit or Watermill Center Discover Day. Made up of interactive installation, video and spoken word pieces, "As We Lay Dying" reflected on the contemporary world through political and social lenses and portrayed through personal perspectives. The recorded spoken word piece was especially compelling in its heart-wrenching contemporary NYC tale. Two chalkboards filled with cryptic phrases (As We Lay Dying Lecture Notes) were both mysterious and revealing with onlookers able to enjoy the transitory piece as is or add their own messages to the visual fray.
Watermill Center is located at 39 Water Mill Towd Rd, Water Mill, NY 11976. www.watermillcenter.org.
.
"As We Lay Dying Lecture Notes" by Bruce High Quality Foundation at Watermill Center's 23rd Annual Summer Benefit. Photo by Tom Kochie.
___________________________________
Looking for more Year in Review stories? Visit "Readers Choice: Most Popular 15 Stories in 2016" and "Best Writing at Hamptons Art Hub in 2016."
___________________________________
Copyright 2016 Hamptons Art Hub LLC. All rights reserved.
keep up the great work, HUB and staff. Looking forward to 2017.