Your Hamptons Art Guide

We’re past Memorial Day and it’s open season for summer parties. Where better to start than this bash thrown by Harper’s to mark 25 years in the biz. That quarter century has seen the gallery become a veritable institution of the Hamptons art scene. The diversity and quality of artists assembled in this celebratory show testify to Harper’s influence and spirit. Established heavy-hitters like Richard Prince and Christopher Wool share the walls with NYC’s younger darlings like Chloe Wise and Nicasio Fernandez. Even if you don’t know much about the artists assembled, the show is a great introduction to the Hamptons’ vibrant art scene.

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If a weekend in the Hamptons finds you missing the cosmopolitan clamor of the city (or if a sunburn induced by too many cosmopolitans means you need a day away from the beach), Hauser & Wirth has the show for you. The contemplative abstractions of Ed Clark and Stanley Whitney provide a soothing, meditative experience. The works here are all on paper and show each man’s unique approach to finding depth and space within abstract color. If you’re at all familiar with their work, you’ll appreciate that these are really classic examples of their work, just on a more intimate scale. It’s hard not to be entranced, so please don’t blame us if you miss your train home.

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There’s something primordial that draws humans to the water, and New Yorkers to the Hamptons. Fortunately, both instincts are amply and sensuously rewarded by Katherine Bradford’s “Shell Seekers” at Canada Gallery. The subjects in these dreamy paintings float on inky waves and frolic on moonlit beaches. Bradford’s fluid brushwork provides the lovely, entrancing sensation of real water. You can all but hear the muffled thud of the surf. What’s striking is how Bradford captures not just the visual presence of the ocean but also its deep physiological draw. That’s no mean feat considering her lean compositions and economical paint layers. So whether you’re a cannon-ball-in-the-shallow-end person or prefer solitary night walks on the strand, here’s the chance to get your art toes wet.

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Dan Flavin was a maestro of minimalism, and his playful light installations are among the most coveted — and instagrammed — pieces of contemporary art. It’s only fitting that such a figure should have his own temple, and that’s exactly what lies inside this converted church in Bridgehampton. Flavin himself designed the space, which permanently houses nine of his neon light works. Glowing bars of green, yellow, and pink pulse within, illuminating and consuming the specially-constructed passages in which they sit. These “icons” blend art and architecture into a single, captivating experience that will leave you marveling at just how much emotion can be stirred by a bit of electricity, tubing, and vapor.    

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