Newport Art Museum Presents “Sean Landers: Lost at Sea”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2025

Sean Landers, Moby Dick, The Whale, (2013/2023), Oil on linen, 112 x 335 in. © Sean Landers, courtesy Petzel, New York. Photo: Christopher Burke Studio

NEWPORT, RI – The Newport Art Museum is pleased to announce Sean Landers: Lost at Sea, an evocative exhibition by acclaimed contemporary artist Sean Landers, on view May 9 through December 29, 2025. Featuring symbolically charged, introspective paintings, the exhibition invites viewers to reflect on ambition, memory, legacy, and loss.

At its center is Moby Dick, The Whale (2013/2023), Landers’ monumental 28-foot-long painting of Herman Melville’s legendary creature. This towering homage anchors the show, bridging past and present, fiction and reality. Through this and related works, Landers charts a course through turbulent waters and shipwrecked dreams, asking what it means for artwork—or an artist—to be “lost at sea.”

Landers’ vision is set in quiet dialogue with art history through a selection of Winslow Homer’s 19th-century Harper’s Weekly illustrations from the Museum’s permanent collection. Personally chosen by the artist, these works offer a subtle connection to New England’s maritime legacy. Images of storms, lighthouses, and solitary vessels echo throughout the exhibition, underscoring the ocean’s enduring capacity to provoke awe and introspection.

“In Lost at Sea, Sean Landers casts himself as both sailor and storyteller, navigating the waters of ambition, self-doubt, and legacy,” said Danielle Ogden, artistic director of the Newport Art Museum. “By placing Landers’ nautical visions in conversation with Homer’s etchings—treasured works from our collection—we honor the evolving language of maritime art while furthering our mission to conserve, protect, and reflect. This exhibition invites deep contemplation and connects generations of artists and viewers across time.”

Landers’ imagery—storm-tossed seas, broken ships, distant beacons—offers a contemporary take on nautical symbolism. These works confront questions of endurance and impermanence, drawing poignant parallels between the physical threats of the ocean and the emotional risks of creative pursuit.

“There’s something deeply humbling about the ocean—it reminds me how easily one can drift, be forgotten, or even wrecked,” said Sean Landers. “Painting the sea allows me to explore vulnerability and resilience—both personal and artistic. This exhibition, in conversation with Homer’s legacy, gave me a chance to reflect on what survival means.”

Sean Landers (b. 1962) is known for his narrative-rich, psychologically complex paintings. Over his distinguished career, he has blended humor, vulnerability, and existential inquiry in works that blur the boundaries between autobiography and fiction. His art has been exhibited internationally, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris, and is held in major public and private collections.

Sean Landers: Lost at Sea will be on view at the Newport Art Museum from May 9 through December 29, 2025. A public opening reception with the artist will be held on Friday, May 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission is free for Museum members; regular admission applies for non-members. Museum hours are Wednesday–Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m.

The Newport Art Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of Forty 1° North. Additional support is provided by the Museum’s Annual Fund.

About the Newport Art Museum: Founded in 1912 as the Art Association of Newport, the Newport Art Museum is a creative community and gathering place for seasonal visitors and residents alike. As a cultural cornerstone in Newport, Rhode Island, the museum offers dynamic, multigenerational programming and showcases a diverse collection of classic and contemporary art spanning centuries, styles, and perspectives. Discover more at www.NewportArtMuseum.org.