Bob Morris gives a brief directory of major gallerists who’ve had outposts in the Hamptons:

At the Gallery Valentine’s opening in July, Mr. Mottola, 62, was quoted in The Wall Street Journal as saying, “There’s never been a serious gallery out here in the Hamptons.”

The area’s art community quickly called the statement “offensive” and worse. Others rolled their eyes.

“Does he know that Leo Castelli once had a gallery here?” asked Ross Bleckner, the artist in Sagaponack, who said he had never heard Mr. Mottola’s name associated with the art world. “And what about Helene Winer of Metro Pictures? She had a gallery here and so did Rachel Lehmann and David Maupin.” Not to mention Ruth Vered (now showing Frank Stella), Mark Borghi (who had a de Kooning show this summer) and a number of other small, serious galleries in East Hampton that have succeeded Elaine Benson.

Gallery Owner Stirs Hamptons Art Crowd (New York Times)