Nantucket is synonymous with whaling, Melville, and Moby Dick, but the island has also been one of America’s premier art colonies since the 1920s. The island’s many local artists compare the light on Nantucket to the South of France. “The low sun just explodes off the sides of buildings,” says Eric Holch. “The white is whiter than white.”
This summer, when you’re enjoying your
Nantucket vacation rental or searching for
Nantucket homes—not to mention Jimmy Buffett’s “lost shaker of salt”—be sure to spend a day gallery hopping. Many of Nantucket’s best galleries are found on Old South Wharf.
Gallery at Four India
Kathleen Knight opened the Gallery at Four India in 1989. It's one of Nantucket’s most prestigious and well-known art galleries. Four India displays art from the 19th to the 21st centuries, with a focus on academic painters from Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Knight also represents a handful of local artists.
Cavalier Gallery
According to art director Lindsay Ebanks, about half of the works in the Cavalier Gallery are beach and landscape scenes and the other half is maritime art. The Cavalier Gallery represents several of Nantucket’s local artists including Robert Stark, who’s known for his paintings of boats with red sails, and Stephen Pitliuk, a graffiti artist. The Cavalier Gallery also has programs that bring regional artists to Nantucket for inspiration.
Eric Holch Gallery
Considered the dean of the Old South Wharf art scene, Eric opened his first gallery “in the last shucking shack to turn into retail space.” Holch creates limited edition silkscreen prints, posters, and a signature line of nautically-themed silk neckties. According to the
Boston Globe, Eric Holch is a master in the art form of silkscreen prints.
Other popular art galleries in Nantucket include G.S. Hill Gallery, Pierce Galleries, South Wharf Gallery, Quidley & Company, George Thomas Studio & Gallery, and the Artists Association of Nantucket. Nantucket may be far out at sea, but its art scene is as lively and vibrant as anything you'll find in New York.
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