Unstoppable, the excellent BBC documentary on Sean Scully that aired in April, charts the Irish-born abstract artist’s rag to riches rise, his outsider status in art world, his complex private life and his Catholic roots. Not since his primary school days at a convent in London, will the 73-year-old have found himself so regularly in front of the altar as he does next month, with the opening of a solo exhibition, entitled ‘Human’, at San Giorgio Maggiore church during the 58th Venice Biennale.
New sculptures, paintings, drawings, and watercolours inspired by the monks, their vast collection of manuscripts and the famous church itself (designed by Andrea Palladio in 1575, it is one of the city’s finest) will go on show. They occupy every nook and cranny; Opulent Ascension is a ten-metre high sculpture of stacked frames wrapped in felt, which rises up through the central dome. In the choir behind the altar sits Scully’s vast manuscript of watercolours, while eight paintings from his abstract Landline collection form a procession to the water outside.
RELATED STORY
‘In many of my painting there is a ladder-like motif,’ says the artist, who has often claimed his work can serve as a conduit between the physical world and the spiritual one. Raised a Catholic, the ecclesiastical location of the show is loaded, he says, ‘But we have had history, so everything is loaded, isn’t it? I’m not a purist. I don’t see the materialism of the church, the robes and opulence, as a contradiction.’ Additional works are scattered throughout the island’s gardens and the church’s adjoining buildings. Among them is a candelabra that holds one giant candle and a triptych entitled Madonna of his son and fourth wife. ‘It’s a very atmospheric space; the works create a powerful sense of silence,’ says Scully, who has also included the monks in his production. As the island’s only residents, they are cooking a dinner of their homegrown produce on the opening night.
San Giorgio Maggiore Opulent Ascension, 2019, by Sean Scully.
Madonna Triptych, 2018, by Sean Scully.
Window Beneath, 2017, by Sean Scully.
Landline Black Veined Oisin, 2017, by Sean Scully.
INFORMATION
‘Human’ is on view 11 May – 13 October. For more information, visit Sean Scully’s website
ADDRESS
Church of San Giorgio Maggiore
30133 Venice
-
Vestre’s neo-brutalist furniture will bring ‘a little madness’ to Paris Fashion WeekBound for Paris Men’s Fashion Week this month, Norwegian furniture brand Vestre reveals a sculptural bench and mirror created with designer Vincent Laine and fashion creative Willy Cartier – the latest outcome of its risk-taking ‘a little madness’ initiative
-
For its latest runway show, Zegna creates a serene oasis in DubaiThe Italian fashion house took over the Dubai Opera for a S/S 2026 show that proposed a lived-in elegance, drawing inspiration from Dubai’s sunbaked landscapes and Zegna’s birthplace of Trivero
-
Time-travel to the golden age of the cruise ship at Sea Containers LondonThe South Bank hotel celebrates its tenth anniversary with four new suites inspired by period cabin design, from Edwardian elegance to 1980s glamour
-
Inside the brilliant and short career of Paul Thek: 'The goal was to live a creative existence as a maker – and he lived in a saint-like fashion'Paul Thek's paintings are now viewable at Thomas Dane Gallery in London, in an exhibition curated by Kenny Schacter and Jonathan Anderson.
-
Lubaina Himid and Magda Stawarska’s new show at Kettle’s Yard will uncover the missing narratives in everyday life storiesThe artists and partners in life are collaborating on an immersive takeover of Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, in an exhibition that delves into a lost literary legacy
-
San Francisco’s controversial monument, the Vaillancourt Fountain, could be facing demolitionThe brutalist fountain is conspicuously absent from renders showing a redeveloped Embarcadero Plaza and people are unhappy about it, including the structure’s 95-year-old designer
-
See the fruits of Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely's creative and romantic union at Hauser & Wirth SomersetAn intimate exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Somerset explores three decades of a creative partnership
-
Luc Tuymans debuts his largest ever paintings at Venice’s majestic San Giorgio Maggiore BasilicaLuc Tuymans is the latest artist to be commissioned by San Giorgio to present work inside its famous space
-
Cassi Namoda is rethinking stained-glass windows at Turner Contemporary in MargateThe artist drew from an eclectic range of references when considering the traditional medium for a Turner Contemporary window overlooking the beach – she tells us more
-
Remembering Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroonian curator due to lead the 2026 Venice BiennaleKouoh, who died this week aged 57, was passionate about the furtherance of African art and artists, and also contributed to international shows, being named the first African woman to curate the Venice Biennale
-
Technology, art and sculptures of fog: LUMA Arles kicks off the 2025/26 seasonThree different exhibitions at LUMA Arles, in France, delve into history in a celebration of all mediums; Amy Serafin went to explore
