I was recently reintroduced to Duncan Hannah (b. 1952), to whom I gave one of his earliest illustration assignments at The New York Times. He subsequently became a successful painter (profiled in the paper this past Spring), with work in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I have a special fondness for his work, which for me combines the emotional light of Edward Hopper and the mystery of René Magritte, yet is uniquely his own. Hannah gave me two catalogs (smartly designed by Megan Wilson) that I have been poring over ever since. Here are some of the images that have captured my fancy for their reference to past and present, light and dark.
Here are some paintings from his 2011 Guggenheim Fellows exhibition, too.
A Girl in Winter, 1995.
Like This, Like That, 1994.
East-West, 1995.
In Her Prime, 2003.
Pigalle, 2001.
Regarding Teresa Ann, 2002.
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About Steven Heller
Steven Heller is the co-chair of the SVA MFA Designer /Designer as Author + Entrepreneur program, writes frequently for Wired and Design Observer. He is also the author of over 170 books on design and visual culture. He received the 1999 AIGA Medal and is the 2011 recipient of the Smithsonian National Design Award.View all posts by Steven Heller →