Artist William Quigley's Busy Summer

In 2013, artist William Quigley moved his studio into a garage he saw on Craigslist, turning an ordinary space into the site of art galleries, fashion shows and a collection of his original and collected art.

Inside the garage, ambient music plays, accompanying the seemingly endless art inside, even some stored in the office and bathroom. On a table, paintbrushes and tubes of paint sit, ready at any moment for another creation to be made.

Mr. Quigley is known for his portraits, especially those of celebrities, including Donald Trump, Shaquille O’Neal and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Quickly getting a start in the art world with a sold-out show at the Henry McNeil Gallery alongside artist Andy Warhol, he has had his work exhibited internationally and is often commissioned. He also operates his clothing brand, Skrapper.

With a career that has taken him across the country and world, the East End has given Mr. Quigley quite a busy summer.

On Saturday, August 3, Mr. Quigley revived his original gallery, AB Gallery, for the first time in 25 years at his East Hampton studio. His work, and work from other artists like Stanley Casselman and Michael Gitlin were displayed in an exhibition titled “God Always Knows,” with music from DJ Alex Reinwald.

“Its birth will be this summer,” Mr. Quigley said of AB Gallery. “Its rebirth.”

Mr. Quigley founded the gallery in 1994 when he was living in Los Angeles. The original name was MaeB Gallery but it changed to AB Gallery when director Dan Bernier took over. A press release stated that though the gallery quickly became “critically acclaimed,” it lost steam because most of the artists had offers from more established dealers and international and national museums.

“Everyone [that was in] AB Gallery are now involved with a good dealer,” Mr. Quigley said. “So I thought, why don’t I just restart this? I’m comfortable now. I’m in East Hampton, far from Los Angeles. I think there is a movement going on here.”

Mr. Quigley has also been obtaining local status the past few years, especially with the painting on the Montauk Moai outside the Montauk Beach House, something that is seen by not only the locals, but the thousands of tourists who visit Montauk every year. Mr. Quigley said the Moai is one of the most photographed sights in Montauk.

According to Mr. Quigley, back when the Montauk Beach House was known as the Ronjo, the motel had the statue built in 1961 as part of the Polynesian-themed resort that dates back to the 1950s. It had been painted only five times since. Mr. Quigley stated on his website that when he was asked to paint over the gold, which was originally painted by owner Larry Seidlick, he looked up and “said a little prayer to the sky.”

What was once a simple gold statue has gotten a makeover from Mr. Quigley. He was commissioned to paint it in 2017, but took his time to finish it so that he could research the project and “let it evolve.”

The Moai is complete with drawings from some children who had asked to join him while he was painting, including a small painting of a penguin on one of the arms. Though the work is rather complete, Mr. Quigley still considers it a work in progress, as he said he drives by it often to look at it and see what he could add.

“I don’t think that I ever thought my work was good. I just like doing it, and then I just hope that it’s good,” Mr. Quigley said. “I’m always surprised when people buy it, but I need people to buy it because it’s all I do for a living. I don’t do anything else.”

Mr. Quigley started creating when he was 5 years old, originally becoming an actor, which he said helps to inspire his artwork today. As a young adult, he studied cartooning at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. It was there his direction as an artist began to change, and it all started with a book he found when he was studying with a friend at 2 a.m.

The book was a collection of work by abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning. Mr. Quigley had tried to return the book, but they could not track down the owner, so it became his. He was so inspired by the work that not only did it inspire him to go to graduate school at Columbia University in New York, it inspired him later on to go to East Hampton, where Mr. de Kooning resided. Mr. Quigley met him in 1991 and officially moved to East Hampton in 2013.

“I think this is almost like Hollywood for art,” said Mr. Quigley, who has traveled across India, Europe and the country. “It’s really incredible and I think the art community is growing because of these markets and people caring about it more because of the money.”

Mr. Quigley did point out that the cash involved with the art auction and dealing business could make getting exposure harder for younger artists and mid-career artists. He called himself a mid-career artist and said that he hopes starting AB Gallery will be a good opportunity for different artists to get exposure in East Hampton.

He has experience with hosting galleries and shows in his East Hampton studio. In 2013, he launched his annual show, “The Pleasurists,” with 2019 being the first year he’s not putting it on. The first “Pleasurists” was held with artist Ben Moon, who operates his studio next door. It was at that first show that Mr. Quigley sold his portrait of Donald Trump to none other than Mr. Trump, who had sent a representative to purchase the painting.

This transaction drew up controversy for Mr. Trump since he became president, as it arose in the congressional testimony of Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former personal counsel. Mr. Quigley said he has turned down a multitude of media inquiries, such as from The New York Times and The Washington Post, out of concern for adding to the controversy. “How am I going to do that to a guy that paid me a lot of money for a painting? I donated the money to charity, for soldiers,” said Mr. Quigley, who said he sold the painting for $67,000.

Looking forward, Mr. Quigley will be playing ball at the 71st Artists & Writers Charity Softball Game in East Hampton, where the beneficiaries will be The Retreat, Phoenix House, East End Hospice and Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center. The game has evolved from a simple baseball game and picnic involving artists like Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Joan Mitchell to this popular and charitable game that invites the community with a suggested $10 donation.

“I’m pretty fortunate,” Mr. Quigley said of his career. “You could always help more people, give more to soldiers, people that are sick or inspire people who are down.”

The Artists & Writers Softball Game will be held on Saturday, August 17, at Herrick Park in East Hampton at 3 p.m. Admission is a suggested $10 donation. More information is available at awgame.org.