About Bill Sullivan
Biography
Bill Sullivan’s sublime use of color elevates the cityscapes of Midtown Manhattan, the mountains and volcanoes of the Colombian and Ecuadorian Andes, and the Hudson River Valley in his landscape paintings. Drawing inspiration from Luminist painters like Frederic Church and Sanford Gifford, as well as the painterly realists of the New York School, Sullivan distinguished himself in his generation. He transformed his own vision of these places into what John Ashbery described as "a certain surreality." Sullivan weaves abstract passages of gradating color between the striated clouds that stretch across the horizon, creating surreal sky patterns that are a hallmark of his artwork—a blend of design and color that feels otherworldly. In a review of Sullivan’s retrospective exhibit at the Albany Institute of History and Art in 2006, Alfred Corn noted in Art in America, "Comparing these paintings with actual scenes, you see that Sullivan is willing to alter scale and detail so as to make a more coherent picture; realism has to make concessions to design and expression." Born in New Haven, CT in 1942, Sullivan studied at Silvermine College and The University of Pennsylvania, where he learned from notable figures like Fairfield Porter and Neil Welliver. His first solo exhibition featuring figures and still life paintings took place in 1970 at Bowery Gallery, after which he cultivated a passion for landscape paintings. Sullivan traveled to South America for several years with his partner Jaime Manrique, culminating in a solo show at Bogota’s Museo de Arte Moderno in 1978. Upon returning to New York City, he continued to showcase his original art in various galleries before moving to Hudson in 2002, where he remained until his passing in 2010.
Paintings offered by
Heather and Colette Sagar are offering for sale selected works by their late uncle, Bill Sullivan, a title used with affection and respect, as he was their mother’s cousin and a beloved presence in their lives. They considered him family in every sense of the word, and this endeavor is deeply personal to them. Their goal in sharing his artwork, which includes stunning landscape paintings inspired by the beauty of the Hudson River Valley, is not simply to place his art, but to ensure that each piece continues to honor his life, his legacy, and his remarkable abilities as an artist. They are committed to finding homes where his work will be appreciated, preserved, and celebrated for generations to come.