Endless Limits: The Work of James Howell, 1962–2014

The Parrish Art Museum presents Endless Limits: The Work of James Howell, 1962–2014. This exhibition is the first career retrospective devoted to an artist whose lifelong investigation into the subtle gradations that structure visual experience constitutes one of the most sustained and quietly radical inquiries in postwar American abstraction. Opened in September and continuing through February 8, 2026, it marks the first presentation of Howell’s work on Long Island, an especially resonant return to the atmospheric landscape that shaped the sensibilities of his late practice.

Spanning more than five decades, Endless Limits follows Howell’s evolution from the figurative experiments of the 1960s through the increasingly distilled abstractions of the ’70s and ’80s, culminating in the near-monochromatic canvases of Series 10. In these late works, mathematics, light, and intuition converge into a disciplined yet profoundly poetic language. Howell’s devotion to gray, more than twelve thousand meticulously calibrated tonal progressions, was never a gesture of reduction, but rather a way of approaching the infinite: compositions that unfold through sustained looking, revealing subtle shifts that probe the nature of perception itself.

“At a moment when speed and spectacle too often dominate our visual environment, Howell’s work offers a quiet intensity that rewards patience and attentiveness,” notes Mónica Ramírez-Montagut, Executive Director of the Parrish Art Museum. “His tonal investigations speak not only to the artistic history of the East End, but to the timeless pursuit of the infinite and the transcendental in art.”

Organized by Parrish Associate Curators Kaitlin Halloran and Scout Hutchinson, the retrospective also reflects the ongoing contributions of the James Howell Foundation, whose director, Laura Bardier, has been central in advancing new scholarship and stewarding the archives that make a project of this depth possible. Through her leadership, the Foundation has ensured that Howell’s intellectual rigor and sensitivity to the subtleties of light continue to resonate within contemporary discourse. “Howell’s work encourages us to look slowly, to trust nuance, and to recognize how the smallest gradations can fundamentally shift our experience of the world. It takes real institutional courage to devote a major museum platform to an artist whose path unfolded outside the circuits of visibility and market validation,” says Laura Bardier, Director of the James Howell Foundation.

A fully illustrated catalogue published by Hatje Cantz accompanies the exhibition, featuring new essays by Jason Rosenfeld, Kaitlin Halloran, and Scout Hutchinson, as well as an essay by Hiroshi Sugimoto previously unpublished in English. Coinciding with the exhibition, the Hamptons Film Festival premiered Thoughts of Infinity (2025), Halina Dyrschka’s feature-length documentary that offers an unusually intimate insight into Howell’s philosophical preoccupations and working process.

Public programs, including panels, member tours, a catalogue launch, and community events, expand the conversation and invite audiences to encounter Howell’s work as he conceived it: slowly, attentively, and with an openness to the infinitesimal gradations that shape visual experience.

Endless Limits: The Work of James Howell, 1962–2014, made possible in part by the generous support of the James Howell Foundation and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, remains on view at the Parrish Art Museum through February 8, 2026.

About James Howell
James Howell (American, 1935–2014) studied at Stanford University and spent much of his early career on the West Coast before moving to New York in 1995. Working between San Juan Island, Washington, and later Montauk, New York, he developed a practice grounded in the tonal and atmospheric range of gray, exhibiting internationally at institutions including the Josef Albers Museum, Bottrop; Kunstverein Eislingen; Mies van der Rohe Haus, Berlin; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente, Segovia; and the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.

About the James Howell Foundation
Through scholarly research, carefully curated exhibitions, and an unwavering commitment to intellectual integrity, the James Howell Foundation, directed by Laura Bardier, ensures that Howell’s practice continues to resonate within contemporary discourse, inviting new generations to engage with the quiet radicality of his vision. In addition to stewarding the archive, the Foundation supports new scholarship, collaborates with museums and universities on research-driven projects, and advances public access through publications and educational initiatives.

About the Parrish Art Museum
The Parrish Art Museum, located in Water Mill on the East End of Long Island, is dedicated to the art and artists of the region and to their dialogue with the broader currents of modern and contemporary art. Through exhibitions, public programs, and publications, the Museum advances new perspectives on the rich artistic and environmental history of the East End.

Visitor information
Endless Limits: The Work of James Howell, 1962–2014
Parrish Art Museum
279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY
September 13, 2025–February 8, 2026
Thursday–Monday, 11am–5pm; closed Tuesday–Wednesday

Contact
James Howell Foundation, press@jameshowellfoundation.org
Melanie Tolan, Director of Communications, Parrish Art Museum, tolanm@parrishart.org