Sean Scully's Collected Writings Reveal His Uncompromising Voice on Abstraction and Art World Morality
The 2016 publication 'Inner: The Collected Writings and Selected Interviews of Sean Scully,' edited by Kelly Grovier and released by Hatje Cantz Verlag, gathers Sean Scully's writings and interviews. Spanning 336 pages, this volume contains over two hundred pieces, such as articles, lectures, and personal reflections. Scully discusses his difficult upbringing in London, his relocation to America in the 1970s, and his relationships with notable individuals like Arthur Danto. He critiques the art scene, labeling Julie Mehretu's commission for the Goldman Sachs lobby as unethical. Scully highlights his dedication to abstraction, exemplified by works like 'Maesta' (1983), and the book features reproductions of his letters, reflecting his genuine voice and admiration for artists including Morandi, Newman, Bacon, and Freud.
Key facts
- The book 'Inner: The Collected Writings and Selected Interviews of Sean Scully' was published in 2016 by Hatje Cantz Verlag.
- It contains over two hundred texts including articles, lectures, reviews, and personal statements.
- Sean Scully is an abstract painter known for his direct and uncompromising prose.
- Scully criticizes Julie Mehretu's Goldman Sachs lobby commission as immoral.
- He references his 1983 work 'Maesta' as an abstract narrative inspired by Duccio's 1308 triptych.
- The book includes reproductions of Scully's handwritten letters from the fax machine era.
- Editor Kelly Grovier compiled the volume, which spans 336 pages.
- Scully describes himself as 'the European American' in contrast to Jasper Johns as 'the American European'.
Entities
Artists
- Sean Scully
- David Reed
- Peter Halley
- Thomas Nozkowski
- Giorgio Morandi
- Barnett Newman
- Olga Rozanova
- Julie Mehretu
- Ian Stephenson
- Arthur Danto
- Robert Natkin
- Francis Bacon
- Lucian Freud
- Wassily Kandinsky
- Jasper Johns
- Duccio
Institutions
- Hatje Cantz Verlag
- Goldman Sachs
- artcritical
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- America
- United States
- Dublin
- Ireland
- Berlin
- Germany