“Stillness in Motion: Seeing Light Anew” Opens at the Slattery Gallery, Southampton

The Hamptons art world has crowned its hottest exhibit of the season, and the buzz could be heard from Southampton to Dublin thanks to PR Superpowerhouse Norah Lawlor: “Stillness in Motion: Seeing Light Anew” by the celebrated Irish painter Gerard Byrne has officially opened at the newly unveiled Slattery Gallery on Jobs Lane, transforming the late-summer cultural calendar into a blaze of light, color, and conversation.

The exhibition, running from August 30 to October 13, 2025, marks Byrne’s triumphant return to the East End following his acclaimed debut at the Hamptons Fine Art Fair earlier this year. This time, he arrives with more than twenty works, including eight freshly painted plein air canvases capturing the singular beauty of Southampton itself. These Hamptons-inspired scenes hang alongside luminous studio works—figurative pieces, still lifes, and sweeping seascapes—that transport visitors from Long Island shores to the rugged coastlines of Ireland.

Opening night shimmered with a touch of stardust as famed photographer Patrick McMullan hosted a private VIP reception, his lens capturing the evening’s sparkle as collectors, critics, and society guests moved through the intimate gallery. Against the backdrop of Byrne’s radiant canvases, McMullan’s presence reinforced the show’s glamour and deepened the cultural bridge between Ireland and the Hamptons.

“It’s the light here,” Byrne reflected, gesturing toward his Southampton works. “There’s something about the Hamptons light that brings the work alive. To return here with a full body of work and space to let it breathe—it feels like a homecoming.” His words echo in every brushstroke: in the fiery skies over fishing boats, the tender stillness of farmhouses, and the quiet shadows in his Irish landscapes.

For John Slattery, the Irish-born founder of the gallery, this exhibition represents both a personal and professional dream realized. “I couldn’t be more excited to officially launch the gallery showcasing Gerard Byrne’s work, a talent I have long admired and respected,” he said. “My vision for the space is to let the art speak, to allow audiences to immerse themselves in genres and ideas. Gerard epitomizes this—his paintings are as diverse as they are unified by an elegance of light.” The gallery itself, located at 30A Jobs Lane, has already established itself as Southampton’s newest cultural landmark, committed to spotlighting both Irish and American Contemporary Art while weaving in Post-War and Modern masterworks. With Gallery Director Damien Roman adding three decades of expertise, the Slattery Gallery has quickly become a destination for art lovers and collectors alike.

The Hamptons, long a haven for creativity, has rarely glowed as brightly. Byrne’s vibrant palette and expressive brushwork evoke the spirit of the Impressionist masters, yet with a modern intensity uniquely his own. His work has graced collections from Irish embassies to the Citadelle Art Museum in Texas, but in Southampton, amidst the late-summer sea breezes and society soirées, Byrne’s paintings feel especially resonant—an intimate dialogue between artist, place, and light.

For Byrne, who co-founded the Gerard Byrne Studio in Dublin’s Ranelagh village with his wife Agata in 2017, this exhibition is another step in a career defined by both mastery and intimacy. His studio in Ireland has become a living museum for his evolving practice, a 1,500-square-foot gallery where collectors and curators experience his art up close. Now, with Stillness in Motion at the Slattery Gallery, Byrne invites Southampton into that same intimacy.

As guests filed out of the opening night, lingering to catch one last glimpse of fishing boats glowing in twilight or a copper farmhouse nestled in shadow, the mood was clear: Gerard Byrne has not only returned to the Hamptons—he has conquered it. “Byrne Baby Byrne” is more than a playful headline; it is the truth of the moment. The hottest ticket in town belongs to an Irish master who has given Southampton its newest cultural crown jewel.

“The Hamptons may be known for its beaches, its style, and its summer soirées, but for the next six weeks, it belongs to Gerard Byrne.”, adds Hamptons Expert H.H. Dr. Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe. His canvases remind us that light itself can be reborn, that stillness can carry motion, and that art—when seen anew—can set a place ablaze.