38 Photos
Nichola Theakston, "Sacred Cow," 2025. Bronze, Edition of 12, 16.5 x 26 x 8 in. © Nichola Theakston, 2025. Photograph by Nichola Theakston. Lender: Private collection.
Monica Banks, "Restless Things," 2024. Porcelain on painted board, 4 x 37 x 18 in. © Monica Banks, 2024. Photograph by Gary Mamay. Lender: Courtesy of the artist.
Louise Bourgeois, "Spider Couple," 2003. Bronze, silver nitrate patina, 90 x 142 x 144 in. © 2025 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Photograph by Stefan Altenburger. Lender: Private collection, New York, NY.
Deborah Butterfield, "Resting Horse," 1977. Steel, wire, twigs, clay, paper pulp, dextrin, plaster, and fiberglass, 34 11/16 × 100 7/8 × 54 ¾ in. © 2025 Deborah Butterfield / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Photograph courtesy of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Lender: Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, gift of Mrs. Frances Allen.
Thomas Deininger, "Pigeon on the Giacometti," 2024. Mixed Media, 80 x 48 x 48 in. © Thomas Deininger, 2024. Photograph by Russell Owen. Lender: Courtesy of the artist.
William Edmonson, "Bird," ca.1930’s. Carved Stone 9.5 x 12.25 x 5 in. © William Edmondson. Photograph by Skyler Smith. Lender: Kovner Collection.
Angus Fairhurst, "I'm sorry, and I won't do it again," 2004. Bronze Edition 3 of 3 + a/p 86 ½ x 51 ¼ x 39 ¼ in. © The Estate of Angus Fairhurst, courtesy Sadie Coles HQ, London. Photograph courtesy of Sadie Coles HQ, London. Lender: Collection of Sean and Tamara McCarthy.
Daniel Firman, "Le Sommeil en Forêt (The Sleep in the Forest)," 2025. 3D printing PETG, metal, paint, 216.5 x 78.75 x 126.5 in. © Daniel Firman, 2025. Photograph courtesy of the artist. Lender: Courtesy of the artist and Ceysson & Bénétière.
Elizabeth Frink, "Dog," 1958. Bronze, 39 x 30 x 14 in. © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / DACS, London. Photograph courtesy of Sotheby’s, London. Lender: Kovner Collection.
Brendan Hesmondhalgh, "Bull 1," 2024. Stoneware & ceramic, 24.5 x 21 x 18.5 in. © Brendan Hesmondhalgh, 2025. Photograph by David Fulford. Lender: Courtesy of the artist.
Nicola Hicks, "Grey," 2012. Plaster and straw, 32 x 11 1/2 x 71 3/4 in. © Nicola Hicks, 2025. Image © Maya Frodeman Gallery. Photograph courtesy of Maya Frodeman Gallery. Lender: Maya Frodeman Gallery.
Nicola Hicks, "Owl," 2022. Bronze Edition 2/3. 41 x 38 x 26 in. © Nicola Hicks, 2025. Image © Maya Frodeman Gallery. Photograph courtesy of Maya Frodeman Gallery. Lender: Maya Frodeman Gallery.
Ryan Johnson, "Dog Chasing Tail," 2021. Bronze Edition of 1 + 3AP, 33 x 52 x 52 in. © Ryan Johnson, 2021. Photograph by Daniel Levin. Lender: Courtesy of the artist and Marinaro Gallery.
William Kentridge, "Stroke," 2022. Bronze, 38.635 x 66.5 x 29.5 in. © William Kentridge, 2022. Photograph courtesy of the Forman Family Collection. Lender: Forman Family Collection.
William Kent, "Walking Stick," 1958. Black Italian slate, 20 x 8 ½ x 3/8 in. © William Kent, 1958. Photograph by Gary Mamay. Lender: Collection of Eric Fischl and April Gornik.
Sherrie Levine, "Unhorned Steer Skull," 2002. Cast Bronze, 18 x 8 x 6 ¼ in. © Sherrie Levine, 2002. Image © Jablonka Collection. Photograph by Nic Tenwiggenhorn. Lender: Mark DuBois & Mara Manus.
Sarah Lucas, "Tit-Cat Up," 2015. Bronze Edition 4 of 6 + 2 Aps, 47 1/2 x 30 x 19 1/8 in. © Sarah Lucas, 2015. © Sadie Coles HQ, London. Image courtesy of Gladstone Gallery, London. Lender: Courtesy of the artist and the Gladstone Gallery.
Kate MccGwire, "Ravish," 2023. Mixed media with rooster feathers in bespoke cabinet, 28 5/8 x 19 7/8 x 19 7/8 in. © Kate MccGwire, 2023. Image courtesy of the artist. Photograph by John-Paul Bland. Lender: Private collection.
Allan McCollum, "THE DOG FROM POMPEI," 1991. Cast fiberglass-reinforced hydrocal, 20 ¾ x 20 ¾ x 20 ¾ (each). © Allan McCollum, 1991. Image © Galerie Thomas Schulte. Photograph courtesy of Petzel and the artist. Lender: courtesy of the artist and Petzel, New York, NY. Produced in collaboration with the Museo Vesuviano and the Pompei Tourist Board, in Pompei, Italy, and Studio Trisorio, Naples, with the help of New York-based mold maker and caster Nathaniel Lieb.
Bruce Nauman, "2 plaster foxes head to foot with plaster can and hammer," 2023-2024. Plaster, burlap, threaded rods, plastic wrap, mud, tape, wire, ax handle and hammers, 101 x 32 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches. © 2025 Bruce Nauman / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph courtesy of the Sperone Westwater Gallery. Lender: Courtesy of the artist and the Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York, NY.
Charles Ray, "Silver," 2015. Sterling Silver, 42 3/8 x 11 1/4 x 48 in. Pages 92–93: © Charles Ray, 2015. Photograph courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery. Lender: Courtesy of John McEnroe Gallery.
Germaine Richier, "La Mante Moyenne," 1946. Bronze, 27 1/8 x 14 5/8 6 ¼ in. © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / ADAGP, Paris. Photograph by Skyler Smith. Lender: Kovner Collection.
Germaine Richier, "La Mante Moyenne," 1946. Bronze, 27 1/8 x 14 5/8 6 ¼ in. © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / ADAGP, Paris. Photograph by Skyler Smith. Lender: Kovner Collection.
Germaine Richier, "La Mante Moyenne," 1946. Bronze, 27 1/8 x 14 5/8 6 ¼ in. © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / ADAGP, Paris. Photograph by Skyler Smith. Lender: Kovner Collection.
Jane Rosen, "Barred Owl," 2025. Hand blown and carved pigmented glass and provencal stone, 65 x 8 x 10 in. © Jane Rosen, 2025. Photograph courtesy of the artist. Lender: Courtesy of Bienvenu Steinberg & C. Gallery, New York, NY.
Jane Rosen, "Hybrid Peregrine," 2024. Hand blown pigmented glass, 15 x 4 x 4 in. © Jane Rosen, 2024. Photograph courtesy of the artist. Lender: courtesy of Bienvenu Steinberg & C. Gallery, New York, NY.
Susan Rothenberg, "17 Heads," 2022. Cast solid sterling silver 6 parts; overall edition, 4/6, 4 x 18 x 4 in. © 2025 The Estate of Susan Rothenberg / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph courtesy of the Sperone Westwater Gallery. Lender: Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York, NY.
Claudette Schreuders, "Mr.Right," 2019. Patinated bronze, enamel paint, Edition 4 of 5, with 1AP, 23 5/8 x 9 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. © Claudette Schreuders, 2019. Photograph courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery. Lender: Courtesy of the artist and the Jack Shainman Gallery.
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, "Urban Trickster," 2021. Cast bronze, 28 x 20 1/2 x 24 in. © Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, 2021. Image courtesy of the estate of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and Garth Greenan. Lender: Gochman Family Collection.
Kiki Smith, "Harpies," 2000. Bronze with Patina, 49 x 15 x 17 – 31 x 17 x 20 – 31 x 23 x 19 in. © Kiki Smith, 2000. Photograph by Lance Brewer, courtesy of the artist and Timothy Taylor. Lender: Forman Family Collection.
Anthony Theakston, "Spirit Owl," 2025. Bronze, 16 ½ x 10 x 2.5 in. © Anthony Theakston, 2025. Photograph by and courtesy of the artist. Lender: Courtesy of the artist.
Catherine Thiry, "Grand Paradigm," 2024. Iron composite, 57 x 59 x 24 in. © Catherine Thiry, 2017. Photograph by Eric Fischl. Lender: Private collection.
Rosemarie Trockel, "Creature of Habit 2 (Deer)," 1990. Bronze, Edition of 3, 8 x 48 x 31 in. © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. Photograph courtesy of the Skarstedt, New York. Lender: Skarstedt Gallery.
Patrick Villas, "Cheetah," 2006. Bronze, Edition of 8 + 4 AP, 38.5 x 52 x 13.75 in. © Patrick Villas, 2006. Photograph courtesy of the artist. Lender: Collection of the artist.
Daisy Youngblood, "Little Gorilla," 2020. Low Fire Clay, 12 1/4x 11 1/2 x6 3/4 in. © Daisy Youngblood, 2020. Photograph courtesy of the artist and Salon 94. Lender: Collection of Nicolas Rohatyn and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn.
Daisy Youngblood, "Leaping I," 2010. Bronze, 29 x 14 x 9 1/2 in. © Daisy Youngblood, 2010. Photograph courtesy of Dorsey Waxter. Lender: Courtesy of the artist and Van Doren Waxter, NY.
“Dinner On The Boat” by Georgia Nile, 16” x 36," oil on wood, 2025.
“In the Soup” by Loren Eiferman, mixed media drawing, 11” x 14”.
Across countless cultures and religions, there exists a common myth — one of rain, floods, punishment and destruction.
The deluge, as it is known, marks a rebirth and the creation of a new world, tasked to those who survive. Inside the walls of The Church in Sag Harbor, they are animals — depicted by sculptures of dogs, cats, birds, gorillas, insects, even a 17-foot-tall elephant, balancing face-down on its trunk.
And while they aren’t necessarily marching two by two, Eric Fischl — with the help of over 40 international artists — has made them an ark.
“The feeling that we were gathering all these creatures in this building, this wonderful wood-constructed old building in a whaling town, it just felt like, this is a ship,” he said. “And then it was like, this is the Ark.”
On Saturday, June 21, as The Church opens its doors to the public for its latest transformation, The Sag Harbor Whaling Museum will do the same for its annual “Calm Before the Storm” party, featuring a silent auction of marine animal-themed work by over a dozen artists, immersed in a whale soundscape.
“The relationship that we have to the ocean, it’s not always the past, it’s not always over,” explained curator and artist Dave. O. “It continues and it continues to us looking to the ocean to, now, instead of kill the most poetic thing in it, to get poetry from the animals remaining.”
Together, this collaboration is The Ark Community Project, explained Fischl. On the front lawn of the Whaling Museum, a large wooden ark will sit for the summer, encouraging children to decorate it how they see fit. Simultaneously, The Church will host a series of artist talks up until the exhibition closes on September 1.
“In keeping with the vision of The Church, which is to try to find ways to break down the barriers between art and the public that doesn’t use art in their daily lives and are intimidated by it, or made to feel small in relationship to it, or stupid — all of the wrong reasons to shy away from art — I try to find ways to empower people walking in the door so that they already know something about what they’re about to see,” he said. “And in this case, everyone knows something about animals.”
The idea for the exhibition “came about the way a lot of my inspirations come,” Fischl said, “which is that I didn’t know I was looking for something and found it instead.”
In this case, it was via Pinterest, he said.
He stumbled across a collection of animal sculptures and clicked on them, leading him down a rabbit hole into a world he never knew existed — one that does not overlap with more traditional art circles, he said.
“It turned out that there’s this whole world of artists, artisans devoted entirely to animal sculpture, and they’re incredibly talented and make such beautiful work,” he said. “They have their own collectors and galleries and museums and fairs, and that became interesting to me, as a way of introducing that aspect into our neighborhood.
“And then I started to wonder about contemporary artists,” he continued, “to see if there were any noted contemporary artists that did animals, and the doors just blew wide open — because it turns out that every artist has.”
The group of 41 creatives in the show contributed over 50 pieces, exploring themes of joy, love, whimsy and playfulness to empathy, irony, discomfort and death. Through animals, it has become a show about humanity, Fischl said, “embodied in our relationship to the creature and our relationship to ourselves through that.”
But they also sit against a backdrop of the current state of the planet, he said, which he described as a crisis, a state of cruelty, abuse and fear — in terms of the country, the world and destroying nature.
“Human resourcefulness, the building of something, the will to survive, the need to protect, these are the essential messages that come through,” he said of the exhibition. “And, so, hopefully, it’s inspiring, that it pulls us together to say, ‘Let’s roll up our sleeves.’”
That is, quite literally, what Fischl and his team of art handlers did earlier this week. The sheer tonnage of the exhibition is staggering, with the larger pieces weighing between 300 pounds and nearly 2,000 pounds, and the most fragile made of just mud, plaster and sticks.
Some of the sculptures are beautiful, with a certain geometric perfection, and some center on animal mysticism, including Kiki Smith’s “Harpies,” which are half human, half bird. A number of sculptures are objectively funny, such as Thomas Deininger’s “Pigeon on the Giacometti” — which is exactly as it sounds, a pigeon perched on the head of a “Walking Man” Giacometti sculpture — but others deal with death, tragedy and loss.
“The Dog from Pompei” by Allan McCollum depicts a dog embedded in the volcanic ash of the infamous eruption in Italy. And Bruce Nauman’s “2 plaster foxes head to foot with plaster can and hammer” hangs delicately from the ceiling, with one animal racing upward, the other downward, tied in a union.
“It’s about a relationship,” Fischl said. “It’s about what binds two creatures together, what separates them, which is life and death.”
A number of the participating artists will join Fischl in conversation throughout the summer, including Nauman, Deininger and Daniel Firman, the man behind the balancing elephant — “Le Sommeil en Forêt (The Sleep in the Forest).”
“This is gonna have people gasping when they walk in the door,” Fischl said.
“The Ark,” curated by Eric Fischl, will open with a reception on Saturday, June 21, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The Church in Sag Harbor. The exhibition will remain on view through September 1. For information about exhibition-related programming, visit thechurchsagharbor.org/event-calendar.
In collaboration, The Ark Community Project will have a simultaneous art opening and silent auction at The Sag Harbor Whaling Museum during its annual “Calm Before the Storm” party from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, but a suggested donation is $50. For more information, visit event.gives/calmb4thestorm2025.
Michelle Trauring on Jun 10, 2025