John Torreano: Walks through the Veil Nebula

The Drawing Room in East Hampton is pleased to launch the 2025 summer season with John Torreano’s third solo show with the gallery. On view from May 31st through July 7th,  John Torreano: Walks through the Veil Nebula features recent paintings and watercolors inspired by the galaxies and the American artist’s ongoing exploration of illusion, perception, and the metaphysical potential of his materials. Challenging traditional definitions of representation and mining the universal code he has found in the stars, Torreano distills the intangible mystery of the cosmos by translating outer space into painterly space. 

The exhibition title references Torreano’s investigations of the Veil Nebula, the visible remains of a massive star that exploded thousands of light years ago. Studying multiple telescopic views of this enigmatic network of glowing gas and dust, Torreano transforms the supernova’s kaleidoscopic structures into flickering abstractions in sketchbook studies, watercolors and large format paintings. With the universe as his muse, Torreano likens his approach to the Veil Nebula to Paul Cézanne’s daily studies and strolls overlooking Montagne Sainte-Victoire.