I want them to be proud of me: Adam Handler in conversation
Art
For Adam Handler (USA, b. 1986), his relationship with art began at an early age. As a child, he grew up in his grandparents’ frame shop in Brooklyn. As the artist recalls, his family did not have substantial financial resources, but the opportunity to exchange frames for artworks meant that their home was constantly filled with paintings and images. Art was never distant or theoretical; it was a daily presence.
Over the years, Handler has developed a painterly language that is instantly recognizable, populated by figures that are at once playful and emotionally charged. Beneath the apparent simplicity of his images lies a deeply personal motivation. Today, the artist explains, the driving force behind his work has evolved:
“I want them to be proud of me. I want them to say: Dad, I like your painting. I like that you’re an artist.”
Adam Handler
This intimate dimension also emerges in the sources of inspiration that permeate many of his works. Handler explains that a significant part of his visual imagination stems from the people closest to him, particularly his wife, whose presence has influenced some of the distinctive features of his figures – from their large, expressive eyes to their immediate emotional intensity.
Despite the visual lightness of his work, Handler emphasizes that achieving simplicity is one of painting’s greatest challenges:
“It’s simple work, and is hard to be simple.”
Adam Handler
After nearly ten years working from his studio in Long Island City, the artist now works in Armonk, New York, where he continues to develop his painterly practice. Handler has exhibited in numerous galleries and exhibition spaces both in the United States and abroad, and his artworks are included in prominent public and private collections worldwide.
We are also pleased to announce that Adam Handler will be in Naples this coming June for an artist residency. Further updates on the project will be shared soon.
