Duncan Hannah at Troutbeck in Amenia, N.Y.

A new solo exhibition of paintings by Cornwall, Conn., painter Duncan Hannah, is on display at Troutbeck, a 250-acre hotel in Amenia, N.Y., through the end of the summer. 

A  native of Minneapolis, Minn., educated at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., and New York’s Parsons School of Design, Hannah has had an impressive career as an artist since his debut in 1981. His work is included in the collections of the Whitney Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  He has also had more than 100 solo shows in the U.S. and abroad. 

Just over the Connecticut border is the more than 250-year-old Troutbeck, which has an intimate ambience that complements the private moments in Hannah’s art. The art is spread throughout the main building, creating an immersive experience.

The show displays 27 of Hannah’s oil-on-canvas paintings, spanning a period from 1995-2020 — though most of the works in the show were composed between 2013 and 2015. The prices range from $2,500 to $8,500.

While the pieces vary in size and subject matter, a common thread is the 20-by-16-inch painted “collage.” Hannah is known for his collages, which include layers of tickets, magazine clippings, silhouettes and  other ephemera. These oil-on-canvas “collages” are two-dimensional and flat, rather than layered with multiple media. Hannah feels that light moves more consistently across their surface than they do on the layered originals. 

In an interview last week, Hannah said he was looking for a new challenge and asked himself, “How do I make it more contemporary?” The concept he chose was to “recreate something that already exists” — thus, the concept behind his painted collages. 

As an admirer of abstract elements, the painter intended to showcase the nonfigurative components of his artwork in his painted collages. Hannah’s 18 x 18 painted collage from 2014 titled “Sexual Freedom in Denmark” displays his interest in abstraction through the array of different colored squares.

This gallery show at Troutbeck also features other works from his career, such as serene landscapes, Penguin book covers and mysterious women. 

To schedule a visit or learn more about the show, email charlie@troutbeck.com or call the hotel at 845-789-1555.