Opening Reception for Sean Landers: Lost at Sea

Join us on Friday, May 9th for the opening reception of Sean Landers: Lost at Sea.

This exhibition places the artist’s enigmatic and deeply personal seafaring works in dialogue with Winslow Homer’s maritime paintings, selected by Landers from the Museum’s permanent collection. Through depictions of shipwrecks, lighthouses, and turbulent waters, Landers explores themes of adventure, loss, and artistic immortality—questioning what it means for a painting, or an artist, to be ‘lost at sea.’

A highlight of the exhibition is Moby Dick, The Whale (2013/2023), Landers’ monumental 28-foot-long painting of Herman Melville’s legendary whale. This epic work anchors the show’s exploration of storytelling, bridging past and present, fiction and reality.

*This is a free and public opening reception but RSVP is greatly appreciated. Cash bar and members will receive 1 free drink ticket.*

About the Artist

Sean Landers (b. 1962, Palmer, Massachusetts) is a contemporary American artist known for his introspective and text-driven paintings, often infused with humor, vulnerability, and existential themes. Over his decades-long career, Landers has explored a wide range of artistic styles and media, from diaristic text-based works to intricate figurative paintings. His fascination with the sea—both as a visual motif and metaphor—has remained a constant, reflecting on perseverance, failure, and the passage of time.

Landers received his MFA from Yale University in 1986 and has exhibited widely in major institutions, including the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Le Consortium Dijon, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. His work is held in numerous public and private collections worldwide.