CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Stephanie Hirsch and I stopped for a photo while discussing her upcoming exhibition at artMRKT; Katie Lee and I make bespoke pizzas at the Rolling in Dough Pizza Truck, brought in for Mark Mullet’s birthday; with Dr. Paul Frank and his wife, Diana, and my husband, David, at the Group for the East End’s 40th gala at Wölffer Estate Vineyard and Stables; Marcus Samuelsson inspires me to cook; this week he shares his recipe for a fresh fruit and local tomato salad

Art is subjective; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I feel that both of these statements are true, but there are outspoken critics who think quite the opposite. But that’s the beauty of art: It sparks conversation and engages the senses. The first moment is visual, but it’s the emotional reaction to art that I find so intriguing. When you see a historic work that you yearn for, but likely will never own—for me, that is a piece by Jackson Pollock— or a contemporary artist such as Jeff Koons, whose work is so highly sought after that its prices soar, you have a gut reaction.

In this issue we celebrate iconic artist Jackson Pollock’s 100th anniversary and his deep roots in the Hamptons by exploring the collaboration between the Pollock Krasner House & Study Center, ArtHamptons (read more on page 52), and our cover star Marcia Gay Harden, who reflects on her Oscarwinning role playing Pollock’s wife, Lee Krasner. Harden looks back on her career-changing part, but confides in Hope Davis, who interviewed Harden exclusively for Hamptons, on the future. Her life mirrors art: There are pieces in the past that are of great value, but it is the future that holds the key. Funny, Ross Bleckner (page 39) says something quite similar….

Just as art is diverse, so too are the talents we feature in this issue, amongst them Bleckner, Peter Max, Chuck Close, William Merritt Chase, and John Chamberlain. What one sees as breathtaking, another might see as banal. I believe with art there are always questions, and in this issue, we hope you find some answers.

SAMANTHA YANKS

Follow me on Twitter at @samanthayanks

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS L0NDON (FRANK); CARLY OTNESS/BFANYC.COM (LEE); EUGENE GOLOGURSKY PHOTOGRAPHY (HIRSCH)