Art-filled Day Trips from NYC: The Hamptons

The East End welcomes a multitude of inspiration exhibitions and cultural destinations worth exploring this summer

Outdoor art installation with colorful sculptures in a field of wildflowers under a bright, cloudy sky.
Outdoor installations at Parrish Art Museum. Photo: Hazel Hutchins

This weekend, the annual Hamptons Fine Art Fair returns to the Southampton Fairgrounds, offering the perfect motivation for a day trip to the East End. But with its multitude of art spaces in Southampton, clusters of small galleries along the Main Streets of both Westhampton and East Hampton, and notable outliers like Galerie Sardine in Amagansett and The D’Amico Institute of Art in Napeague, there’s many reasons to explore the Hamptons all summer long.

Now in its 19th year, the Hamptons Fine Art Fair comprises 140 galleries representing post-war, contemporary, and emerging artists. New this year is a collection of indoor sculpture, “SculptureHamptons,” hosted by the 16-acre LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton where over 20 galleries will display works of glass art, small sculptures, metalworks, ceramics, pottery, and wood turning. 

Classic convertible car with abstract paint design on hood and doors, viewed from above in a garage setting.
A 1969 MGB sports car has been hand-painted by Mark Grimaldi to replicate Pollock’s “Convergence,” and is on display at the Hamptons Fine Art Fair. Photo: Courtesy of Hamptons Fine Art Fair
Gallery exhibition featuring various framed photographs on walls with a small black counter in the center.
Installation view, Wolfgang Tillmans. Photo: Courtesy Peter Marino Art Foundation/Jason Schmidt
Elegant art deco room with a painting above a vintage sofa, accented by red and gold walls, and two small tables.

Outside the 70,000-square-foot pavilion complex, the independent galleries along Jobs Lane in Southampton present myriad opportunities to discover work by established and up-and-coming talent. Don’t miss the Peter Marino Art Foundation, which is currently showing photography by German artist Wolfgang Tillmans, and the Southampton Arts Center, where there is a collection of abstract contemporary outdoor sculpture, and later in July, an exhibition of emerging artists from the collection of Christine Mack.

Southampton village also offers plenty of upscale late-lunch spots, including a charming Sant Ambroeus outpost, Le Charlot, and Dopo Argento with the original Tate’s Bake Shop the perfect destination for an afternoon treat.

Side view of a modern building's slanted roof with wooden beams and a lush green field under a blue sky.
Parrish Art Museum. Photo: Alfonso Lopez Baz
Art exhibition hallway with various framed paintings and text on white walls, wooden ceiling above, exhibition details in text.
Installation view of “Sean Scully: The Albee Barn, Montauk” at the Parrish Art Museum, on view May 11–September 21, 2025. Photo: © Gary Mamay

Ready for a drink? Head out to the Duck Walk Vineyard for a quick wine tasting, either before or after visiting the adjacent Parrish Art Museum. Designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron to resemble the area’s vernacular barn structures, this world-class arts center founded way back in 1898 now brings international artists into its unique space in Water Mill.

On view this summer is an exhibition of abstract works by Sean Scully, which examines how a summer spent in Montauk in 1982 altered the course of his practice, and a showcase of portrait photography by Shirin Neshat—her first in the New York area in 20 years—that brings together four bodies of work.

American flag with handwritten text: "Flown to the Moon on Apollo 11, 16-24 July 1969, Buzz Aldrin."
Apollo 11 flag, with Buzz Aldrin inscription, part of “Independency” exhibition on view at Southampton Arts Center. Photo: Courtesy of Southampton Arts Center
Vintage banner with text "Lincoln and Hamlin" featuring American flags and an eagle emblem.
Lincoln and Hamlin banner, part of the “Independence” exhibition at Southampton Arts Center. Photo: Courtesy of Southampton Arts Center

Over at The Watermill Center, the current exhibition “Upside Down Zebra” curated by Brian Belott and Noah Khoshbin, explores the artistic value of children’s imagination and its influence on contemporary art. Works from the Rhoda Kellogg International Child Art Collection are shown alongside responses from contemporary artists. Visits are by appointment, and guided tours are available upon request.

Modern glass house surrounded by trees in a woodland setting under a blue sky
The artists residence at the Watermill Center, designed by Roger Ferris in collaboration with Robert Wilson. Photo: Alan Tansey

In Sag Harbor, the Eastville Heritage House Museum is hosting a group exhibition titled “Mami Wata,” presented by Superposition Gallery and curated by Storm Ascher. Named for the goddess and water spirit from African and Afro-Caribbean mythology, the exhibition invites 16 artists to embody the complexities of this mythological symbol, prosperity and fertility to chaos and misfortune.

At The Church, a community art center founded by Eric Fischl and April Gornick, there is a show curated by Fischl comprised of 50 animal sculptures by some of the most celebrated artists of the past century, including Louise Bourgeois, Maurizio Cattelan, William Kentridge, Bruce Nauman, Kiki Smith, Sherrie Levine, Joan Brown, and many more.