DIARIO
VOL 1. ISSUE 15
Destination Art:
Long Island
From Pollock to de Kooning to Warhol: Long Island has been the inspiration for a community of artists seeking escape from the big city since the American Impressionists arrived in the late 19th century.
Polished Rock Candy
Large Mobile Oval Earrings in 18K Gold
Andy Warhol filming through the window with Lee Radziwill, Montauk, August 1972. Jonas Mekas. © Boo-Hooray and Jonas Mekas
By the mid-20th century many members of the New York School came to the eastern tip of Long Island to establish homes and studios, such as Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner. Thanks to a loan from Peggy Guggenheim, the couple moved to a small studio in the Springs, near East Hampton, in 1946 and lived there until Pollock’s death in 1956. Now a foundation, this house shows the presence of both artists’ work in the barn, which was used as a studio. On the floor, in dashes of color as expressive as handwriting, one can spot the making of Pollock’s masterpieces like Autumn Rhythm: Number 30 (1950) and on the walls, where she used to tack up her canvases, Krasner’s Portrait in Green (1966). The Foundation provides ongoing support for artists all over the globe through various grants and awards - totaling over 74 million dollars in support across 77 different countries.
“It doesn’t make much difference how the paint is put on, as long as something is being said. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement.”
Jackson Pollock
Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, East Hampton, United States. © Daniel Mejak
Jackson Pollock and Lee Kranser in Pollock’s studio (1950). © Lawrence Larkin for the New York. American Contemporary Art Gallery, Munich.
In 1975, Elaine and William de Kooning purchased a house in East Hampton where Elaine created her last important works, Cave Walls and Cave Paintings (1985-88). After her death in 1989, the house remained a draw for the art community. The sculptor John Chamberlain and the painter Richmond Burton both lived and worked there, while Chris Byrne, a co-founder of the Dallas Art Fair, bought the house and began inviting artists. Since 2011 the house has hosted numerous informal residencies and exhibitions.
Polished Rock Candy
Mixed Shape Extra Long Linear Earrings in 18K Gold
The De Kooning’s and Leo Castelli, East Hampton, 1953. © Tony Vaccaro Studio 2016
Eothen, Andy Warhol Estate © 2014 Alex Ferrone,
Andy Warhol's love of extremes brought him to Montauk, the extreme tip of the island. The unpretentiousness of the village caught Warhol’s eye in 1971, when he and Paul Morissey jointly purchased the 20-acre property called Eothen (“at first light” in ancient Greek). He couldn’t go there often: “He had a lot of problems with the wind, which took his hairpiece off,” remembered Morrissey. Lee Radziwell, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Peter Beard, the artist Julian Schnabel, Liz Taylor, Truman Capote, Liza Minnelli, and John Lennon were only a few of the many notable figures who visited the five-cottage estate. The Rolling Stones even rehearsed the Black and Blue album in the living room.
The art influence continues to permeate the Long Island scene with many galleries opening and thriving. The Watermill Center, founded in 1992 by legendary theater director Robert Wilson, is an interdisciplinary laboratory for the arts and humanities and continues to be an art staple of the island. The Parrish Museum, built by Samuel Longstreth Parrish to showcase his collection, was founded in 1898 and has expanded from a single exhibition hall in Southampton to an architecturally stunning, light-filled, purpose-built facility in Water Mill. The Dia Flavin Art Institute was established in 1983 as a permanent installation of Flavin’s work in a renovated firehouse and holds a permanent installation of nine works in fluorescent pieces created by the artist between 1963 and 1981.
Polished Rock Candy
Mixed Link & Slice Necklace in 18K Gold
Andy Warhol Reading at His Montauk Estate, Hedges Projects © 2018 Artsy
Installation view: Artists Choose Artists 2016 © Gary Mamay
Art in Eastern Long Island
Dia Flavin Art Institute in Bridgehampton
Art Market
Art + Design Fair in Bridgehampton (July 5th - 7th)
The LongHouse Reserve Sculpture Garden
Collective Art + Design by Jeff Lincoln
Newtown Lane in East Hampton
Halsey McKay
Tripoli Gallery
Eric Firestone
Lawrence Fine Art
The Drawing Room
The Harper’s Books store which is a book store and an art gallery
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