Sean Scully: The Albee Barn, Montauk

A significant suite of paintings from a pivotal moment in Scully’s career return to their region of origin for the first time in over 40 years

This volume is a focused survey of the Irish American artist Sean Scully’s (born 1945) work, exploring his Long Island connection and how a single month spent in Montauk in the summer of 1982 with a fellowship at the Edward F. Albee Foundation became a pivotal place and moment in the artist’s career. Scully found great inspiration in the natural landscape of the East End, ultimately transforming his palette to include deep, earthy tones and transformative whites within his now recognizable vocabulary. The paradigmatic shift proved to be essential in Scully’s practice--leading to a breakthrough in style and subject matter. The book, accompanying an exhibition at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, NY, recalls this transformative moment by gathering 15 of the original 1982 Montauk paintings for the first time since their time in the Barn. The exhibition includes over 70 works, chosen in collaboration with the artist to highlight the works’ contextual site--landscape and light.