Beauty and Tranquility in Watermill

After our great lunch at Saaz, we headed for the Parrish Art Museum, several miles west of the restaurant, at 279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill. The original Parrish site was in Southampton village and featured a garden with ancient statuary. We loved it, but had not managed a visit to the new building, which opened in 2012 and is dramatically larger. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, it has a great pedigree, and a sunny Sunday afternoon was the perfect time for a visit.

 The New Parrish is a Friendly Space

We are not art critics, but we really enjoyed the variety of art displayed within the museum’s permanent collection, and so will you. Arriving just before 2:00 pm on Sunday, a free docent tour of the museum was about to begin, and we joined. We learned much. Not an art expert yourself? A Sunday docent tour will at once answer many questions and increase your comfort level with the collection. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the Parrish…

 

The Parrish Art Museum was founded in 1897. It has grown into a major art museum with a permanent collection of more than 2,600 works of art from the nineteenth century to the present, including works by such contemporary painters and sculptors such as John Chamberlain, Chuck Close, Eric Fischl, April Gornik, Donald Sultan, Elizabeth Peyton, as well as by masters Dan Flavin, Roy Lichtenstein, Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, and Willem de Kooning. The Parrish houses among the world’s most important collections of works by the preeminent American ImpressionistWilliam Merritt Chase and by the groundbreaking post-war American realist painter Fairfield Porter.

The Permanent Collection Display Changes

The permanent collection display changes every November, so a pre-Thanksgiving visit would show you a new range of art. Special exhibitions are presented throughout the year. During our visit, the museum was setting up two new exhibitions, so we were not able to see them. That means a return visit as Winter grinds on.

Special Programs and Events

This February is Family month, with many kid-friendly activities that show children and young adults a range of art, and art related activities. If I can get away, I will attend the upcoming paper arts night.  This is a chance to learn how the world entertained itself before the internet.

Photos of the Permanent Collection

Enjoy some of the photos that follow, and go visit the Parrish yourself. You will be glad you did.

 

 

 

There is much more to see, so the foregoing photos simply show the types of art in the Parrish. Yes, I’m a sucker for cute little animals, and the fabulous, friendly service dog was a hit with us.

Next Time

As I write this, the temperature is in the single digits, and the upcoming weekend promises more snow, so stay tuned for a visit to someplace with great indoor heating. Until then, enjoy your trip around town.