'Sean Scully: Painting and Sculpture' at Centre of Contemporary Art, Toruń

15 May 2022

One of Sean Scully's largest exhibitions to date is now open at the Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA) in Toruń, Poland, until 11 September 2022.

'Sean Scully: Painting and Sculpture' brings together more than 50 large-format oil and acrylic paintings on canvas and aluminium, dating from 1973 to 2021, and 24 works on paper, allowing visitors to trace the different themes and stylistic transformations from the past five decades of Scully’s career.

The core of the exhibition is an installation of 12 monumental paintings from the Doric series, created between 1990 and 2020. Displayed together as a complete set for the first time, the series appropriately shown in the Centre's Column Hall. For Scully, this 1000-square-metre space best reflects the mystical and sacral character of the Doric cycle of paintings. A number of Scully's large-format, multicoloured sculptures sit between the columns in this central space.

Also presented is Wall Landline Irena, painted in 2021 to celebrate the memory of Irena Gut, a Polish woman who suffered a cruel fate in World War II. Having saved twelve Jews from certain death, the story of her life is a shocking synthesis of the history of Eastern European nations during and after the war. Her tragic story and heroism left a profound impression on Sean Scully, who decided to honour her by painting a picture dedicated to her and offering it as a gift to CoCA.

Find further information via CoCA.