Sean Scully
Stories
27.6. — 2.11.2025

Sean Scully
Stories

27.6. — 2.11.2025

Sean Scully is one of the most important non-figurative artists of our time. His works are a powerful expression of deep emotions, as well as poetic and philosophical reflections on humanity, loss, and longing. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, the Bucerius Kunst Forum is dedicating a comprehensive retrospective to the artist, presenting around 60 works of his oeuvre from more than six decades. In addition to large-format paintings, the exhibition includes works on paper, photographs, and sculptures.

The exhibition showcases an approachable side of abstract art: Anecdotes and background information on the works make Scully's art accesible, evoking emotions and personal associations in the viewer. His art tells stories, tapping into memories and feelings. Together, we explore Scully’s childhood memories, political experiences, and travel impressions, experiencing how his works are marked by deep melancholy, immense joy, and rich poetic and philosophical reflections.

The exhibition connects the artist's works and texts. Wall texts and sound samples allow for a personal encounter with abstract painting. It showcases Scully's iconic, large-format paintings alongside discoveries and experiments dating back to the 1960s. His works, in which he applies multiple layers of oil paint, leaving the texture clearly visible, are particularly well-known. These paintings stand out for their monumentality and checkerboard-like patterns, in addition to the bold application of paint and coarse brushstrokes. The exhibition takes us on a journey through the decades, allowing us to understand how Scully's artistic path evolved in response to personal strokes of fate, political developments, and artistic trends.

Scully was born in Dublin in 1945 and grew up in London. Now based in New York, he taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich from 2002 to 2007 – a period that greatly influenced his work. Over the past 60 years, Scully has been featured in numerous exhibitions. In 2014, he became the first Western artist to have a retrospective dedicated to him in China. In 2013, he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Arts in London and has received numerous honorary doctorates. His works are held in important collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The exhibition is complemented by three publicly accessible sculptures, which can be seen both inside and outside the Bucerius Kunst Forum. The sculpture Air Cage 2 will be displayed on the Alter Wall. It brings Scully's work into the public space and invites visitors to experience Hamburg’s city center from a different perspective, encouraging them to linger. The outdoor sculpture is part of a pilot project within the Hamburg program “Verborgene Potenziale – Gemeinschaftliche Entwicklung der Nutzungsvielfalt für eine lebendige und resiliente Innenstadt”. It is funded by the “Zukunftsfähige Innenstädte und Zentren” program of the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development, and Building. 

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