Familiar scenes from beloved Vineyard artists debuted on the walls of the Granary Gallery on Friday, at the gallery’s last premiere of the summer.
New paintings by Tamalin Baumgarten, Heather Neill, and Kib Bramhall hung alongside retrospectives from Milton Avery and Thomas Hart Benton, completing this year’s high-caliber collection, said gallery owner Chris Morse.
“This is probably the biggest blue chip body of work this building has ever seen,” he told the Gazette Friday. “We have never had such a broad, across the board, collection of quality American art.”
Kib Bramhall, renowned Island painter and fisherman, showcased new paintings depicting corners of the Island, painted from 2024 to 2026.
Mr. Bramhall began painting at 16 years old when, in high school, he was forced to take an art or music class, and did not like the music teacher. Now, at 93 years old, Mr. Bramhall shows no signs of slowing down.
“It’s what makes me tick,” he said. “I love it.”
He’s working on “nothing” now, he told the Gazette. Will he get back to it soon?
“Oh, sure,” he said. “Yeah, tomorrow.”
On a nearby wall, dream-like pastel paintings depicted images from a nearby island. Tamalin Baumgarten, whose family has deep roots on Cuttyhunk, has been showing at the Granary since 2019.
“There is a magic in the place that is just so inspiring,” she said.
Ms. Baumgarten is drawn to reflections, shadows and tricks of light, she said. A blown out candle and its shadow makes multiple appearances in this new body of work, and the sparkle off the sea — a view from the ferry, crossing Buzzards Bay — aim to capture the excitement of arriving on-island.
“I love incorporating some mystery, and a little bit of magic in the painting, where it’s just a little bit beyond what you would really see,” she said.
Alongside the contemporary artists’ work were retrospectives of 20th-century artists Milton Avery and Thomas Hart Benton, who drew inspiration from the Vineyard after summering here for decades. Chilmark mushrooms and farmhouses hung alongside scenes of 1920s New York City, while “After the Storm” depicts a schooner in Menemsha, driven ashore in the 1944 hurricane.
“That is probably the most magnificent Vineyard painting I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” said Mr. Morse.
The collection is likely the biggest of Benton’s work currently available in America, he added.
Surrealist pieces from contemporary artist Heather Neill rounded out the premiere, and painter Wolf Kahn’s colorful, abstract Vineyard landscapes were revealed from behind a sliding wall.
“This show does have a lot of identifiable Vineyard landscapes, with artists’ own twists and interpretation,” said Mr. Morse.
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