Bill Sullivan Art

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

An elderly man in a cap, glasses, scarf, and jacket stands outside a building.

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.

CURRICULUM Vitae: University of Pennsylvania, M.F.A.SILVERMINE COLLEGE

PRIVATE STUDY WITH JOSEF AND ANNIE ALBERS

Selected Group Exhibitions;
2010    Painted City, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2010 Invitational Show, Brick Gallery, Catskill NY
2010 New Acquisitions, Hudson River Museum, Yonkers NY 2010 Local Self-Portraits, Hudson Opera House, Hudson NY
2009   Contempocorpart, National Exibition Centre, Abu Dhabi
2009 Four Hundred Years of The Hudson River, Albany Istitute of History and Art 2009 FIRST LOOK, Ramscale Fine Arts, NYC
2008   Colombia County Counial on the Arts, Landscape Exbition, Hudson NY 2008 Colombian County Historical Society Show, Kinderhook NY
2008 BCB Callery Group Show, Hudson NY 2007    2008 Group Show, BCB Gallery, Hudson NY
2008 River Views, The Hudson River Museum, Yonkers NY 2006    2008 Group Show, BCB Gallery, Hudson NY
2008 The Chair Project, Artwalk, Hudson NY 2008 Winterwalk, BCB Gallery
2005   Hudson River Views, Bonnie Andretta Fine Arts, Hudson, NY 2005 Recent Acquisitions, Albany Institute of History and Art
2004   Indelible, Gallery 2/20, NYC
2004 Workshop Exibition, Dannette Koke Fine Art, NYC 2003   Painted City, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY
2004 Juried Art Show, Columbian Councel on the Arts, Hudson NY Made In Hudson, Artwalk, Hudson, NY
2002   Group Show, Musselman Gallery, Hudson, NY
2001 The Landscape That Changed America, The Albany Instute of History and Art Albany, NY
1999 Greenwoods and Crystal Waters: The American Landscape Tradition; Curated by John Arthur, Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma
1998 Have Suitcase Will Travel; Conductor’s Gallery, London, England.
1997 House/Scene; Curated by Josie McKee,The Kunsthaus, Hamburg, Germany 1997 Selected Prints, Atrium Gallery, Long Island City, NY
1997 Contemporary Selections, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY 1996 Eight Realists: Realism Then and Now, K & E Gallery, New York
1996 Recent Acquisitions, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY 1996 Pencilvanians Drawn to New York, Pennsylvania Alumni Exhibition, Roger Smith Gallery, New York
1996 New Acquisitions, Museum of the City of New York, New York
1995 Five Aspects of American Landscape Painting, Curated by John Arthur, Creiger Dane Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts
1995 New York City Views, Curated by Jim Yost, Owen Gallery, New York City 1995 Increased Visibility, Organized by Art Group, Leslie Lohman Gallery, NYC 1995 American Realism, The Bijutsu Seka, Various Japanese Cities Group Show; G.W. Einstein Co., New York City
1994 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Bowery Gallery, New York City American Realism, Isetam, Tokyo & Seibu, Kobi & Kyoto, Japan
1994 Town and Country Contemporary Landscape, A M.O.M.A. Traveling Exposition Sleeping & Waking curated by Frank Bernarducci, Wellesley Ross Gallery
1994 Pride in Our Diversity, curated by Ronny Cohen, 24 Hours for Life Gallery, New York City
1994 Paint Props and Process, curated by Margaret Mathews-Barenson, Castle Gallery, College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, New York
1993 Celebration, G.W. Einstein Co, Inc., New York City
1993 Far Away Places Artists Who Travel, SSC&B Lintas Worldwide, NYC 1993 Group Show, John Szoke Gallery, New York City
1993 Art & Fantasy, Amos Eno Gallery and The Puck Building, NYC 1993 Organization of Independent Artists Benefit, Brook Alexander Gallery, NY 1993 19th & 20th Century Works of Art, Friends of OLONA Benefit, Hudson, NY
1992 New York Icons, Michael Ingbar Gallery, New York City
1992 Group Show, John Szoke Gallery, New York City.
1992 19th and 20th Century Works of Art, Olana State Historical Site, Hudson, New York
1992 Shanti Foundation Benefit Exhibition, Tatistcheff Gallery, Santa Monica, CA 1992 Contemporary American Landscape, World Art Collection in conjunction with Quatre Pieces Gallery, Yokohoma, Japan
1992 The Scarf, Bergdorf Goodman, New York City
1991 Urban Icons, curated by Susan Schreiber, Klarfeld Perry Gallery, NY1991 Edge of Night, The Muckenthaler Cultural Center, Fullerton, CA
1991 Spirit of Place Dada Gallery, Fukuoka, Japan. Group Show, Tatistchieff, Santa Monica, CA
1991 Group Show, John Szoke Gallery, New York City.
1991 American Images, Crane Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan; World Art Collection, Yokohama; Daimon Art Gallery, Sapparo; Beersheba Gallery, Osaka, Japan
1990 American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Invitational Exhibition, American Academy, New York.
1990 Plein Air Painting: Capturing the Moment, Tatistcheff Gallery, Santa Monica, California
1990 Land/Sea/Air, Steven Scott Gallery, Baltimore, MD.
1990 Penn Prints: 30 Years of Printmaking at the University of Pennsylvania, Arthur Ross Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
1990 A Little Night Music: Manhattan in the Dark, curated by Gerrit Henry, S.S.C. & B., Lintas Worldwide, New York.
1990 Gallery Group Show, Susan Schreiber Gallery, New York.
1990 Painting California: Five New York Artists Look at Los Angeles, Tatistcheff Gallery, Santa Monica, CA.
1989 Food Show, Grand Central Art Galleries, New York
1989 June Moon: Lunar Reflections by Contemporary Artists, G. W. Einstein Company, Inc.
1989 Neo Romantics, Lafayette College, The Gallery, Williams Center for the Arts Romance is Back, curated by Margaret Matthews-1989 Berenson, S.S.C. & B.: Lintas Worldwide, New York.
1988 New York Inspired: Past and Present, John Szoke Gallery, New York.
1988 Contemporary Art at the Bayly, Bayly Museum of Art, Charlottesville, VA.
1988 The Face of the Land, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA. 1988 The Nude, curated by Gerrit Henry, One Penn Plaza, New York.
1988 Waterworks, curated by Margaret Matthews-Berenson, S.S.C. & B.: Lintas Worldwide
1987 The World is Round: Artist and Expansive Vision, Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE; Parish Art Museum, South Hampton, NY; Arts and Science Center, Nashua, NH; College Art Gallery, S.U.N.Y. at New Paltz, NY; The Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY.
1987 One of a Kind, curated by Margaret Matthews-Berenson, S.S.C.& B.: Lintas Worldwide, New York City
1987 Lush Landscapes, curated by Marc Cohen, Attitude Art, New York.
1986 Self-Portraits, G.W. Einstein Company, Inc.
1986 Night Landscapes, Schreiber/Cutler, Inc.
1985 New York Prints, Mary Ryan Gallery, New York.
1985 Contemporary Still Life, curated by Gerrit Henry, One Penn Plaza.
1985 American Art Now!, Columbus Museum of Arts and Science, Columbus, GA. 1985 Contemporary Painters of the Hudson River, curated by John Yau, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY; Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY; The Arsenal, New York.
1985 Prints from the Lower East Side Printshop, Department of Cultural Affairs Gallery, New York.
1984 Gifts to the Museum, Reading Museum, Reading, PA
1984 New Vistas: Contemporary American Landscapes, curated by Janice Oresman, The Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY; Tucson Museum of Fine Arts, Tucson, AZ1984 Bowery on the Bowery Invitational, Bowery Gallery, New York
1984 Eight Years Later, Artists’ Choice Museum, New York
1984 New Landscapes, Rahr-West Museum, Mantowac, WI; Frumkin Strobie Gallery, Chicago, IL.
1983 Painted Light, Artist’s Choice Museum Travelling Exhibition: Queens Museum, New York; Butler Institute, Youngstown, OH.
1983 The New Landscape, One Penn Plaza
1983 In Honor of the Brooklyn Bridge, curated by John Yau, David Findlay Jr.
1982 Contemporary Realism, One Penn Plaza 1981
1981 Escapes, curated by Ann Lauterbach, Art Latitude Gallery, New York.
1980 Salon des Independants, New York Critics’ Choice, selected by Gerrit Henry, Grand Palais, Paris, France.
1979 16 Realistas, Centro Colombo-Americano, Bogota, Colombia.
1979 Bienal Americana de Artes Graficas, Museo de Artes Graficas, Maracaibo Venezuela.
1978 Museo de Bellas Artes, Maracaibo, Venezuela
1978 Grabados Internacionales, Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogota, Colombia.
1978 Three Realists, Canton Art Institute, Canton, OH; Madison Art Center, Madison, WI; Habatat Gallery, Dearborn, MI; and Jessie Besser Museum, Alpina, MI. 1978 The Classic Revival, Illinois State Museum; Quincey Art Center; Kirkland Gallery; Sharp Museum; University of Minnesota; Lakeville Center of the Arts Artists’ Choice: Figurative Art in New York, Soho Center for the Visual Arts, NYC.
1978 New Images: Figuration in American Painting, Queens Museum.
1975 Selections from the Bowery Gallery, Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA; Squibb Gallery, Princeton, NJ.
1973 The Representational Spirit, New York State University at Albany, NY. 1971 Annual Purchase Exhibition, Smith College Museum of Art.
1970 Painterly Realism, American Federation of Arts Traveling Exhibition (curator) Smith College Museum of Art, Baldwin-Wallace College, Univ. of Michigan Museum of Art, Long Island Univ. Albrecht Callery, Syracuse Univ. Lowe Art Center, Mobile Art Gallery, Winona St. College, Wisconsin State Univ., Louisiana State Univ. Univ. of South Western Louisiana, Edmonton Art Gallery. Awards
2006 The Edgar and June Martin Fund
2005 Furthermore Foundation (J.M. Kaplan Fund) 1989 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship 1981 Ingram Merrill Fellowship, New York
1979 Quirama Award, Instituto de Integracion Cultural, Medellin, Colombia

Solo Exhibitions

2019    “Great Estates”, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY
2009    Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY
2008    BCB Gallery, Hudson, NY
2007    BCB Gallery, Hudson, NY
2006    “The Autobiography of Bill Sullivan: A Landscape Retrospective”, The Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany NY
2005    Roxbury Art Group, Roxbury, NY
2003    The Gallery at The St. Charles, Hudson NY (two-person) "Paintings of South America" Curated by John Ashbery, Hudson NY
2001    HHA Gallery, Riverdale, New York
1999    Silas-Kenyon Gallery, Provincetown, MA
1996    Uptown Gallery, New York City
1990    Susan Schreiber Gallery, New York City1990 Tatistcheff Gallery, Santa Monica, California
1989    G.W. Einstein Company, Inc., New York City
1986    Schreiber/Cutler, Inc., New York City
1986    G.W. Einstein Company, Inc., New York City
1984    David Findlay Jr., New York City
1981     Ruth Siegel Ltd., New York City
1980    G.W. Einstein Company, Inc., New York City
1979    Galeria Condor, Barranquilla, Colombia
1979    Galeria Finale, Medellin, Colombia
1978    G.W. Einstein Company, New York City
1978    Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogota, Colombia
1978    Capricorn Gallery, Washington, D.C.
1976    Bowery Gallery, New York City
1975    Webber Gallery, Portland, ME
1974    Bowery Gallery, New York City
1972    Bowery Gallery, New York City
1970    Bowery Gallery, New York City
1967    East End Gallery, Provencetown MA
1965    John Slade Eli House, New Haven CT
1964    The New Haven Library, CT

Public and Corporate Collections Albany Institute of History and Art Cleveland Museum of Art
Hudson River Museum Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museo de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogota, Colombia Museo de Artes Graficas, Maracaibo, Venezuela Museo de Bellas Artes, Maracaibo, Venezuela Museum of the City of New York
New York Public Library
Reading Public Museum and Art GalleryThe Alantic Group
American Telephone and Telegraph Company Bank of Bermuda
Bank of Boston Bessener Trust
Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. Chemical Bank
Citibank N.A.
Continental American Life Insurance Diner’s Club, S.A.
Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb Inc. Lewis Foods, Inc.
Mellon Bank of Pittsburgh
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCoy Mobil Oil
J. P. Morgan Associates Morgan Lewis, Inc. Mutual of New York
Olwine, Connelly, Chase, O’Donnell, and Weyher Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company
Prudential Life Insurance Company of America Reader’s Digest
Reliance National
Security Pacific National Bank Simpson, Thatcher and Bartlett Smith Barney Harris Upham & Co. Time Warner
United Parcel Service
U.S. Trust Company of New York Western Electric Company