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Six Must-Visit Art Galleries in the Hamptons

Sun and surf aren’t all the legendary Long Island enclave has to offer.

Before the East End of Long Island was known for celebrities, lobster rolls and luxury, it was an artists' colony with roots going back to the 1800s. The land of lighthouses and sandy dunes has also been home to some of America's most renowned artists. The love of art runs deep in the Hamptons, and there are still plenty of ways to connect to its artistic history and creative present. Here are our picks for the art galleries you should visit out East this summer.

Eric Firestone Gallery

26 Main St., Sag Harbor, N.Y.

When Laura Grenning opened her gallery years ago, she focused on classically trained realist painters. Since then, she's expanded her reach and found new artists and new voices. "I needed to have more color," she told Observer. With a summer exhibition schedule that includes Hunt Slonem's rabbit and butterfly paintings, Darius Yektai's canvases that merge representation with abstraction, Ben Fenske's landscapes and seascapes and "Masters of Plein Air," there's a clear thematic bond. "All of my artists are deeply inspired by and connected to nature," Grenning said.The gallery roster is composed mostly of American contemporary realist painters and sculptors. Slonem, Sarah Lamb and Yektai display a range of humor and spirit, along with acute observation, tenderness and reverence for earlier schools. The staff is welcoming, and the vibe is relaxed.

Eric Firestone Gallery

4 Newtown Lane, East Hampton, N.Y.

Picture windows on East Hampton's busiest corner reveal a pristine space filled with powerful 20th and 21st-century paintings, sculptures and multimedia works. The gallery has been........

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