Skip to Main Content

Sean Scully: Works on Paper, 1975–1996

Saturday, January 8, 2000Sunday, April 2, 2000

Installation view of Sean Scully: Works on Paper, 1975–1996. Photograph by Tom Loonan.

Clifton Hall Link

Sean Scully is one of the foremost representatives of a new generation of abstract painters. Coming of age during the height of Minimalism, this American artist of Irish birth has looked for ways to reconcile the extreme rigor of formal abstraction with the emotional power of earlier abstract art. He says, "I think if you have Matisse, Mondrian, Rothko, then you have my work." Scully's paintings are noted for their irregular panels, liberated color, and spontaneous brushwork. His command of pastel, watercolor, and other media on paper greatly expands the expressive potential of his works with paint, canvas, and steel. This selection of works on paper, organized by the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung in Munich, came primarily from Scully's private collection — which was not available to the public until this exhibition. The works range in size from a few inches to several feet and chart his artistic development since the mid-1970s, as illustrated in an accompanying catalogue.

This exhibition was organized by the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, Munich and Assistant Curator Claire Schneider.