Scully went on to study at Croydon College of Art, later winning a Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship to Harvard University in 1972. After a sold-out debut exhibition at the Rowan Gallery in London he moved to New York in 1975. Here, he developed a language that fused the austerity of American Minimalism with the optical resonance of European Op Art. His Wall of Light series, begun in 1998, remains a landmark achievement in abstract painting. His works are represented in major museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the National Gallery (London) and the National Gallery of Ireland (Dublin).

In Floating Painting #4 (1996), Scully extends his painterly vocabulary into sculptural form. Painted on a metal support, the work occupies a liminal zone between painting and object, challenging the viewer to experience colour, rhythm, and weight in physical space. The vertical stack of painted segments recalls his commitment to structure, but the shimmering quality of the oil medium animates the surface, giving a sense of both permanence and flux. Works such as this underscore Scully’s enduring interest in the dialogue between solidity and luminosity, between the wall-bound painting and free-standing form.

View page turning catalogue

Auction Details

Wednesday 29 October 2025, 10.30am GMT
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE, UK
Bidding is available in person at our salerooms, online, by telephone or you can leave commission (absentee) bids.
Browse the auction
Sign up to email alerts

Viewing in London (Highlights):
Dreweatts, 16-17 Pall Mall, St James’s, London SW1Y 5LU
Monday 13 - Wednesday 15 October

Viewing in Newbury (Full sale):
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE, UK
Friday 24 – Tuesday 28 October (no Saturday viewing)

Further information:
General enquiries: + 44 (0) 1635 553 553 | pictures@dreweatts.com
Press enquiries: press@dreweatts.com