Richard Sheehan
Light Beneath
September 12 - October 1, 2026
Retrospective Celebrating the Painter’s Distinct Vision of Urban Landscape and American Life
Light Beneath is a retrospective honoring the life and work of American landscape painter Richard Sheehan (1953 - 2006). The exhibition reintroduces a painter whose work balanced direct observation with an inventive approach to color, structure, and atmosphere.
Sheehan focused on bridges, overpasses, industrial corridors, roadside signage, and commercial architecture. Working directly from life, often outdoors in difficult conditions, he developed compositions that maintain a tension between abstraction and representation, painterly freedom and architectural precision. Often associated with artists such as Richard Diebenkorn and Wayne Thiebaud, he achieved energetically charged paintings from overlooked aspects of the American landscape.
A defining body of work within the exhibition centers on paintings made beneath and around bridges, where Sheehan found expansive possibilities within human-created, functional spaces. Cropped tightly and constructed with a remarkable sensitivity, these works transform infrastructure and shadow into immersive fields of color and atmosphere.
Also on view are a selection of Sheehan's signage paintings, many presented publicly for the first time. Images of the visual language of Americana, commerce, and advertising, these works open a distinct thread of the artist's practice: a clear inquiry into the political and social structures that shape American life.
Expressway Bridge, Superbowl Sunday, 1989, Oil on prepared cotton duck, 92 x 72 inches. Photo: Ira Shrank.
Untitled (Pizza Hut), 1991-1992, Oil on prepared cotton duck, 82 x 76 inches. Photo: Ira Shrank.
First Snow & Bridge, 1988, Oil on canvas, 76 x 72 inches. Photo: Ira Shrank.
Though based primarily in New England, Sheehan’s work developed a lasting resonance in San Francisco through its engagement with perception and lived experience. Sheehan was discovered by Alan Fink, the director of the Alpha Gallery in Boston. Fink mounted Sheehan's first solo exhibition shortly after the artist graduated from Yale. His urban and plein-air paintings later gained broader acclaim on the West Coast, particularly after his work was featured in the Jeremy Stone Gallery in San Francisco.
Born in Boston, Sheehan received his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and his MFA from Yale University. He taught at Yale University, Harvard University, and Brandeis University, and exhibited widely throughout the United States.
Exhibition Details
Exhibition Title: Richard Sheehan: Light Beneath
Dates: September 12 – October 1, 2026
Location: Nelson Duni, 35 Bartlett Street, San Francisco, California
Press Preview: Thursday, September 10, 2026 | 11 AM – 5 PM and by appointment
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 12, 2026 | 4 – 8 PM
Exhibition Programming
An Evening of Folk Music with Noah Solt
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
6:30–7:30 PM
On the occasion of Richard Sheehan: Light Beneath, Nelson Duni presents an intimate evening of live music with folk musician Noah Solt, performing a solo acoustic set surrounded by Sheehan’s paintings.
Music was an important part of Sheehan’s life, particularly modern folk. Solt’s contemplative songwriting offers another way to experience the exhibition, inviting visitors to slow down, look closely, and encounter the work through both sight and sound.
Free and open to the public.
Seating is limited; advance registration is required. RSVP here.
Rachel Teagle in Conversation with Jeremy Stone
Sunday, September 27, 2026
2:30–3:30 PM
On the occasion of Richard Sheehan: Light Beneath, join Nelson Duni for a conversation reflecting on artist's life, work, and legacy.
Jeremy Stone, who worked with Sheehan for three decades, will be joined by Rachel Teagle, Founding Director of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis. Together they will reflect on Sheehan's singular vision and the enduring power of his work.
Free and open to the public.
Seating is limited; advance registration is required. RSVP here.