'Butt' by Cole Puetz

Curator’s Note

With Butt, Cole Puetz turns a simple view into a monument. Cropped close against a bright, island sky, the figure becomes landscape, warmed skin stacking like dunes, the ridge of the spine reading as horizon. It’s frank, funny, and reverent at once: a celebration of the body as both place and presence, rendered with Cole’s unmistakable, tender light.

WHY THIS WORK

The high, sky-blue backdrop and tight crop transform intimacy into icon; it holds a wall from across the room and rewards slow looking up close.

Cole’s brushwork lays the form in clear, sculptural planes—classical in structure, decidedly contemporary in attitude.

It’s the Fire Island gaze we love: casual, sunlit, and full of good humor without losing an ounce of grace.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Cole Puetz is a New York–based painter and perennial Fire Island Pines goer. A frequent collaborator and muse across art and fashion, he builds quiet dramas of light from queer, everyday encounters. Works from this body were featured in his debut solo exhibition at The Visitors Center in the Pines.

DETAILS

Artist: Cole Puetz

Title: Butt

Year: 2024

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 24 x 30 inches

Framing: Currently framed as shown (inquire for options)

Signature: Signed and dated (verso)

Provenance: The Visitors Center; directly from the artist.

STATUS

Available. For framing, insured shipping, or to view related works from Cole’s studio, please inquire.