Synopsis
The East End of Long Island, popularly known as the Hamptons, has been a haven for artists since the late nineteenth century, and today the area maintains its status as a thriving artists' colony. Many renowned contemporary artists have established roots in the seaside resort towns and formerly rural hamlets of the East End, whether converting old shingled barns into their studios and living spaces or designing and building them from scratch. This book is a chronicle of the current artistic community of the East End--an inside look at the studios of luminaries such as Chuck Close, Robert Wilson, John Chamberlain, Larry Rivers, David Salle, Eric Fischl, April Gornik, Cindy Sherman, Ross Bleckner, and Julian Schnabel, among others. Bob Colacello's entertaining, anecdotal text traces the artistic legacy of the East End, from William Merritt Chase and his circle in the nineteenth century through the Abstract Expressionists of the 1950s and up to the present. Photographer Jonathan Becker captures the personalities of the artists and takes us inside their live/work environments. The book has evolved from an article by Colacello and Becker that was published in the August 2000 issue of Vanity Fair. The introductory text was adapted from Colacello's article. East End writer John McWhinnie supplements the text with profiles of the artistic character of the various towns and captions.
