New Additions to the Parrish Art Museum’s Collection

The Parrish Art Museum has announced the addition of significant artworks to its permanent collection. The acquisitions cover a diverse range of artistic styles and eras and further solidify the museum’s commitment to presenting a comprehensive range of contemporary and historical art.

Among the notable additions is “Hurricane” by Peter Nadin (American, b. Britain 1954), who moved to New York in 1976 and became a pivotal figure in the downtown art scene along with Christopher D’Arcangelo, Daniel Buren, Louise Lawler, Richard Prince, Jenny Holzer and Lawrence Weiner. Nadin created the oil on paper piece in Wainscott during Hurricane Gloria in 1985, depicting the perceptual transformation he experienced through his barricaded window moments before the storm destroyed his studio. The work is a gift by Diane L. Ackerman, and marks Nadin’s inaugural representation in the Parrish collection.

“We are grateful to our dedicated friends and donors for their generous support and contributions to the growth in breadth and depth of our permanent collection,” said Mónica Ramírez-Montagut, executive director, Parrish Art Museum. “These recent acquisitions demonstrate the Parrish’s commitment to educating, engaging, and inspiring our community for generations to come as the leading arts education institution in this region.”

“Fourth Coming” (2023), an oil on canvas painting by Leslee Stradford (American, b. 1950), has been gifted to the museum by the artist. Stradford’s work straddles the line between figuration and abstraction, offering a nuanced exploration of social, cultural, and historical themes. The artist uses tools associated with women’s work, such as combs, brushes, and mops. The work is one of the paintings Stradford presented as part of her selection in “Artists Choose Parrish,” the museum’s recent exhibition honoring its 125th Anniversary.

Two sewn duck cotton canvas pieces made in 2023 from Bastienne Schmidt’s (German, b. 1961) “Colored Grids” series were gifted by the Spektor Family Foundation and the artist in memory of her father Gerhard Schmidt, respectively. Schmidt’s multi-disciplinary approach explores memory, history, and time through intricate patterns and textures. Schmidt has a long-standing relationship with the museum. She participated in the 2016 “Parrish Road Show,” the museum’s annual offsite exhibition series, and her work was chosen by Valerie Jaudon for the 2019 “Artists Choose Artists” triennial exhibition. Schmidt was also selected as the 2017 artist-in-residence in conjunction with the annual “Student Art Exhibition.” The two works represent Schmidt’s recent style and mark a total of six pieces in the Parrish collection.

“La Scala Curtain” by Guillermo Kuitca (Argentinian, b. 1961), a mixed media on paper from 2005, is a gift of Marc Lowenstein. Informed by the worlds of architecture, music, theater, and cartography, Kuitca blurs the lines between abstraction and figuration and seeks to incite a theatrical experience. One of the most significant artists from Latin America working today, his work is represented in collections across three continents, including the Art Institute of Chicago; the Albright-Knox Art Gallery; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Fundació La Caixa, Barcelona; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; and Tate, London.

The next three works are part of a group of promised gifts by Susan Dubner, a docent and longtime friend of the Parrish. Gloria Vanderbilt’s “Autumn” is a silkscreen from circa 1970. Primarily known as a New York City heiress and socialite, Vanderbilt (American, 1924–2019) was an accomplished artist, fashion designer, author, and actress. She joins an impressive list of artists who have studied at the famed Art Students League in New York and whose works are in the Parrish collection.

Three watercolors on paper by Rolph Scarlett (American, 1889-1984) showcase the artist’s abstract language, which he adopted soon after meeting Paul Klee in 1932, abandoning his figurative painting style. Scarlett’s paintings are represented in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Montreal Museum of Art, and the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

“Abstract with Texture” by Sherron Francis (American, b. 1940) was one of the large-scale works the artist made by swishing acrylic-laden squeegees onto canvases rolled out on the floor, boldly probing the elusive attributes of color to reveal its planes and depths. Francis was one of the few women artists to make a mark in the New York art world in the 1970s, showing at the cutting-edge André Emmerich gallery alongside Al Held, Kenneth Noland, and Hans Hoffmann. Her works were held in high regard by Clement Greenberg and Helen Frankenthaler; and Peter Schjeldahl praised her for her “satisfying firmness and delectation.”

“Brooklyn Bridge” (1932), a watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite work on paper by John Marin (American, 1870-1953) captures the essence of this iconic structure with remarkable vitality in the artist’s signature semi-abstract and expressionistic style. Marin, who is most well-known for his watercolor works, received his first major exhibition featuring oil paintings at the Parrish Art Museum in 1987, curated by former Robert Lehman Curator Klaus Kertess.

“Pier 40 and Holland Tunnel Ventilation Tower” by Rackstraw Downes (British, b. 1939), a graphite on gray on copper paper piece from 1998, features the artist’s meticulous observations of his surroundings and offers a unique perspective of urban landscapes. This work is a promised gift by Klaus Ottmann, the museum’s adjunct curator of the collection. In 2010, Dr. Ottmann curated “Rackstraw Downes: Onsite Paintings, 1972-2008” at the Parrish, which featured Downes’s recognizable plein air panoramic views of New York, Maine and New Jersey, among other locations. This work is slated to be included in the museum’s upcoming exhibition “A New Subjectivity 1979/2024,” curated by Dr. Ottmann and opening this October.

The Parrish Art Museum is at 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill. For details, visit parrishart.org.