The Hamptons’ art season gained a compelling new chapter this past weekend as The Slattery Gallery in Southampton unveiled its first solo Hamptons exhibition of celebrated Irish painter Gerard Byrne. Hosted by legendary society photographer Patrick McMullan, the VIP reception brought together collectors, curators, and cultural tastemakers for a refined afternoon of art, conversation, and community.

The exhibition, which runs through Monday, October 13, 2025, marks Byrne’s solo debut on the East End. McMullan described the collection as “a luminous exploration of light, form, and memory”—a fitting characterization for works that balance the expressive traditions of Impressionism with a contemporary sensibility.

The gallery’s bright, intimate space on Jobs Lane provided a natural stage for Byrne’s landscapes and figurative pieces, each rendered with the artist’s distinctive mastery of tone, texture, and color contrast. Sunlight filtered through the front windows, casting a dynamic glow across the canvases as guests moved between conversations and quiet moments of reflection.

Notable attendees included John Slattery, Gerard Byrne, Patrick McMullan, Agata Byrne, Damien Roman, Jean Shafiroff, Leesa Rowland, Melanie Wambold, Nancy Stone, Leila Pinto, Ron Burkhardt, Sophie Rose Slattery, Nicole Salmasi, Lucia Hwong Gordon, James Byrnes, and Noreen Donovan—a gathering that underscored the Hamptons’ role as a nexus for the international art world.

McMullan, whose lens has chronicled decades of cultural life from Manhattan to Montauk, remarked that presenting Byrne’s first solo Hamptons exhibition felt like a natural extension of his own passion for art and the local creative community.

The Slattery Gallery, located at 30A Jobs Lane, focuses on Irish and American contemporary works alongside exceptional Post-War and Modern masterworks. Founded by John Slattery, an Ireland native and Southampton resident, the gallery draws from both his homeland and his adopted home on the East End.

Gallery Director Damien Roman, with more than three decades in the art world, curates a thoughtful mix of contemporary exhibitions and secondary market treasures. The program includes paintings, photography, sculpture, and rare printed works—reflecting a vision that bridges tradition and innovation.

With a career spanning 35 years, Gerard Byrne has become recognized as Ireland’s foremost Modern Impressionist. His oil paintings—distinguished by their vibrant palette, expressive brushwork, and refined manipulation of light and shadow—are held in collections worldwide, including the Irish Government, various Irish Embassies, and the Citadelle Art Museum in Texas.

In 2017, Byrne and his wife, Agata Byrne, co-founded the Gerard Byrne Studio in Dublin’s Ranelagh village, an immersive gallery and working space dedicated exclusively to his art. The studio has since become a destination for collectors and art enthusiasts seeking a direct connection to Byrne’s creative process.

The opening of The Slattery Gallery with Byrne’s work signals both a commitment to cultural exchange and a deepening connection between the Hamptons and the international art scene. It is a collaboration between an artist whose career has been defined by mastery of his craft and a gallery poised to become a cornerstone of Southampton’s cultural landscape.