The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York, has announced additions to its permanent collection, including 11 photorealist paintings from the Seven Bridges Foundation and works by contemporary artists Marie Watt, Sam Moyer and Alix Pearlstein. Announced on October 26, 2026, the gifts broaden the museum’s holdings across painting, sculpture and mixed media while building on its longstanding connections to artists working on Long Island’s East End.
Key Takeaways
- The Seven Bridges Foundation plans to donate 11 photorealist paintings created between 1990 and 2017.
- The gift complements approximately 30 photorealist works already held by the museum.
- The foundation’s contribution also includes Marie Watt’s Almanac: Seven Generation (2007).
- Sam Moyer’s Montrose (2014) and three collages by Alix Pearlstein are among the other announced additions.
New Acquisitions Expand the Parrish Art Museum Collection
The latest additions reflect two areas of the museum’s collecting program: photorealism and contemporary art made with a variety of materials. The foundation’s planned donation expands an established concentration of meticulously rendered paintings, while the works by Watt, Moyer and Pearlstein bring different approaches to sculpture, collage and image-making.
The acquisitions also reflect the role of donors in shaping the permanent collection. In addition to the Seven Bridges Foundation’s gifts, East End resident Alexis Klein Sarfatti donated Moyer’s Montrose through Museum Exchange, and Pearlstein contributed three of her own works.
The museum’s existing photorealist holdings grew substantially through earlier gifts associated with its 2018 exhibition From Lens to Eye to Hand: Photorealism 1969 to Today. The new group continues that collecting focus rather than establishing an entirely new direction.
Seven Bridges Foundation Contributes Photorealist Paintings
The foundation’s announced gift includes 11 paintings made between 1990 and 2017. Artists represented in the group include Roberto Bernardi, Tom Blackwell, Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Bertrand Meniel, Robert Neffson and Raphaella Spence.
Photorealism emerged in the late 1960s, with artists using photographic imagery as a starting point for paintings of everyday scenes and objects. Reflections in windows, polished surfaces, vehicles and urban architecture are among the subjects associated with the movement. The paintings often call attention to how closely a painted surface can reproduce the visual information captured by a camera.
That emphasis on exacting representation differs from contemporary approaches to painting that use recognizable subjects while allowing color, texture and brushwork to move away from photographic likeness. The Parrish’s additional paintings give visitors more opportunities to examine those distinctions across artists and decades.
With roughly 30 photorealist works already in its holdings, the museum has a foundation for presenting the movement’s development and the range of subjects its practitioners have explored.
Marie Watt’s Sculpture Combines Bronze and Textiles
The Seven Bridges Foundation’s gift also includes Marie Watt’s Almanac: Seven Generation (2007), which combines cast bronze and wool blankets on a cedar pedestal. Its materials bring together textile traditions and sculptural forms in a work informed by history, storytelling and community.
Watt, a member of the Seneca Nation, frequently incorporates materials associated with Indigenous cultural practices into her art. In Almanac: Seven Generation, the blankets are integral to the sculpture rather than decorative additions. The work extends the Parrish’s collection beyond photorealist painting while connecting contemporary materials to inherited cultural meanings.
Sam Moyer’s Montrose Brings Stone and Canvas Together
Sam Moyer’s Montrose (2014) combines stone with ink on canvas mounted to a panel. The work was given to the museum by Alexis Klein Sarfatti through Museum Exchange and will become the Parrish’s second work by Moyer.
Photo Credit: Unsplash.com
The canvas was dyed and bleached outdoors on Long Island’s North Fork, where Moyer maintains a home. Its combination with stone reflects her use of materials associated with both painting and architecture. That interest in how surfaces shape a finished work also appears in experimentation with artistic materials, including sculpture and painting that bring textiles, metal and unconventional supports into the composition.
Moyer previously participated in the museum’s 2023 anniversary exhibition Artists Choose Parrish and presented the solo exhibition Ferns Teeth in 2024. The acquisition adds a further connection between her practice and the East End institution.
Alix Pearlstein Donates Three Mixed-Media Collages
Alix Pearlstein, who works in New York City and on the North Fork, has donated three collages that were previously included in Artists Choose Parrish. Her work spans collage, performance, video and installation, often placing imagery from different sources into new relationships.
Among the donated works, two Archive Collage pieces from 2021 reference artists and images from art history, including figures represented in the Parrish’s collection. Their layered arrangements invite viewers to consider connections among images, artists and periods rather than looking at each reference in isolation.
Taken together, the announced gifts expand the museum’s ability to present photorealism alongside contemporary work that uses materials, images and historical references in different ways. They also reinforce the Parrish’s ties to artists and supporters connected to Long Island’s East End.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many photorealist paintings are included in the gift?
The Seven Bridges Foundation has announced a gift of 11 photorealist paintings created between 1990 and 2017.
Which photorealist artists are represented?
The announced group includes works by Roberto Bernardi, Tom Blackwell, Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Bertrand Meniel, Robert Neffson and Raphaella Spence.
What did Marie Watt contribute to the collection?
Watt’s Almanac: Seven Generation (2007), made with cast bronze and wool blankets on a cedar pedestal, is part of the Seven Bridges Foundation’s gift.
What is Sam Moyer’s Montrose made from?
Montrose (2014) combines stone and ink on canvas mounted to a panel. Its canvas was dyed and bleached outdoors on Long Island’s North Fork.
Where is the Parrish Art Museum located?
The museum is located in Water Mill, New York, on Long Island’s East End.
