Endless Limits: The Work of James Howell, 1962–2014
Endless limits at the parrish museum
“Endless Limits: The Work of James Howell, 1962–2014 presents a comprehensive view of the American painter, through works ranging from the early 1960s to 2014 that highlight an evolving career with persistent exploration. Howell’s style and overall practice go beyond what the artist has become known for: the use of subtle gradient tones of gray. One constant throughout his career, from his early years as an artist on Bainbridge Island, Washington, was a fascination with color. His work from the 1960s, though it hardly predicts who Howell would become as an artist, exemplifies his determined attention to detail.”
Interview
Hear from the James Howell Foundation's Executive Director, Laura Bardier, and President D Joy Howell, as they discuss James Howell’s life and work in conjunction with the exhibition Endless Limits: The Work of James Howell, 1962–2014.
Laura Bardier is a New York-based curator, writer, and executive. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the James Howell Foundation and is the Founding Director of the ESTE ARTE Cultural Summit & Art Fair. Since 2018, Bardier has led the James Howell Foundation, overseeing its incorporation and implementing a strategic plan that has successfully expanded access, awareness, and engagement with James Howell’s artistic practice. In February 2014, Bardier established ESTE ARTE, a platform that has significantly reshaped the art landscape of South America. She has written extensively about contemporary art in various publications and has curated several exhibitions. Bardier is actively involved in several professional organizations, serving as the Chair of Governance at ArtTable and as a board member for ICI - Independent Curators International and Creative Capital. She holds an MA in Curatorial Studies from Donau Universität in Austria and an undergraduate degree from Università degli Studi di Firenze in Italy.
Curator-led tour | ENDLESS LIMITS & TIME EXPOSED
With Associate Curators Kaitlin Halloran & Scout Hutchinson
Parrish Art Museum
279 Montauk Highway
Water Mill, NY 11976 United States
October 24, 3 PM - 4 PM
Installation view of Endless Limits: The Work of James Howell, 1962–2014 at the Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY (September 13, 2025–February 8, 2026). Photo: © Gary Mamay.
Scout Hutchinson brings ten years of curatorial experience working with arts institutions, most recently as a Curatorial Fellow at the Whitney Museum of American Art, where she oversaw the Sondra Gilman Study Center for works on paper and worked closely with the permanent collection. At the Whitney, she was a curatorial assistant for the traveling exhibition Ruth Asawa Through Line, co-organized Wanda Gág’s World, and curated the current collection exhibition What It Becomes. Prior to that, she held curatorial and research positions at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Hauser & Wirth Institute, and the Jewish Museum, and was an inaugural research fellow with the Holt/Smithson Foundation in 2021. As the Associate Curator of Exhibitions, Hutchinson will contribute her varied expertise to the Museum’s growing roster of exhibitions.
Kaitlin Halloran, who began her tenure at the Parrish as an intern in 2019, has quickly become an integral part of the curatorial team. Joining the Museum as Curatorial Assistant and Publications Coordinator in 2022, Halloran worked closely with former Cullman Chief Curator, Alicia G. Longwell, Ph.D. on exhibitions An Art of Changes: Jasper Johns Prints, 1960–2018 and Joaquín Sorolla and Esteban Vicente: In the Light of the Garden. Earlier this year, as Assistant Curator, Halloran curated the permanent collection installation Across the Avenues: Fairfield Porter in New York, an exhibition that Lance Esplund of the Wall Street Journal called, “deftly mounted” and “. . .an exhilarating, perfectly positioned in-house show.” Halloran co-curated Parrish Road Show | Andrea Cote: To Belong to the World and is currently collaborating with Museum Executive Director Mónica Ramírez-Montagut on next year’s major exhibition Sean Scully: The Albee Barn, Montauk. Additionally, she led the publication of Artists Choose Parrish and is managing the Bank of America conservation grant for William Merritt Chase’s A Comfortable Corner.
TALK | ENDLESS LIMITS WITH JASON ROSENFELD
With art historian Jason Rosenfeld, Ph.D.
Parrish Art Museum
279 Montauk Highway
Water Mill, NY 11976 United States
November 7, 7 PM - 8 PM
Jason Rosenfeld has been a member of the faculty at MMC since fall 2003. Dr. Rosenfeld received his B.A. from Duke University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, with a dissertation titled New Languages of Nature in Victorian England: The Pre-Raphaelite Landscape, Natural History and Modern Architecture in the 1850s. He has previously taught at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts, New York University, and Queens College, City University of New York. Academic interests include contemporary art and issues in figuration and landscape, art and architecture in New York City, nineteenth-century European art, British art, specifically Victorian and the Pre-Raphaelites, and modern architecture.
publication
Endless Limits: The Work of James Howell, 1962–2014 will be accompanied by a fully illustrated exhibition catalogue published by Hatje Cantz. The publication will provide insight into the artist’s meticulous working methods and his relationship to the East End.
About the parrish
Inspired by the natural setting and historical artistic community of Long Island’s East End, the Parrish Art Museum celebrates its legacy through a distinctive contemporary lens and socially conscious global context. The Parrish illuminates the creative process and how art, architecture, and design transform our experiences and our communities, and how we relate to the world. Access to relevant cultural engagement, artistic inspiration, a natural environment, and architectural ingenuity characterizes the museum experience as a unique destination for the region, the nation, and the world.
“Institutions are often the mirror of the professionals who give them life. In
every interaction, the Parrish team has shown expertise, warmth, curiosity,
and a deep respect for Howell’s artistic practice and process. It takes vision
to present a retrospective of an artist who has remained largely unknown
to broader audiences. The decision to champion this project affirms the
organization’s belief in the enduring power of thoughtful, rigorous art and
reflects a deep-rooted connection to the cultural fabric of Long Island’s East
End. I am profoundly grateful to the Museum’s Executive Director, Mónica
Ramírez-Montagut. Without her extraordinary courage, remarkable foresight,
and unwavering support, this exhibition would not have been possible. My
gratitude extends to the entire Parrish staff for welcoming Howell’s work so
wholeheartedly.”
Location
Parrish Art Museum
279 Montauk Highway
Water Mill, NY 11976 United States
exhibition dates
Sat, September 13, 2025– Sun, February 8, 2026
Endless Limits: The Work of James Howell, 1962–2014 is co-organized by Kaitlin Halloran, Associate Curator and Publications Manager, and Scout Hutchinson, The FLAG Art Foundation Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Parrish Art Museum and is supported by the James Howell Foundation and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation.
James howell foundation advisory board
D. Joy Howell, President
Deborah Berke
Robert Rosen
Jason Mesiarik
Susan Kempin
Sandorf Kempin
Victoria Sanbunaris
Lilly Wei
James howell foundation team
Laura Bardier, Executive Director
Asia Szczepanowska, Office Manager
Lisette Morris, Curatorial Assistant