Ghost Abduction in the blue tulip fields is a painting from the series of Ghost Paintings by the American painter Adam Handler.

New York-based artist Adam Handler’s signature ghost paintings bring together Handler’s arsenal of iconic phantom characters alongside new faces to address his recurring interest in mortality and how to cope with fearing loss. Coming together to depict a brilliantly saturated universe, these paintings collectively and kindly offer a whimsical mediation on the transience of life.

His Ghost Paintings unfold the virtuosity of the artist. Composed with the multi-colored acrylic paints and oil sticks that are characteristic to the artist’s uniquely vibrant universe, these works evolved out of earlier series of friendly wide-eyed ghosts and abstract girls. For this exhibition, his images of ghosts are introduced to new monsters and explore boldly hued backdrops of starbursts, UFO’s, rain, polkadots, drips of paint, and wild flora. In these new works, Handler pushes the emotions of his figures both metaphorically and physically. Whether standing alone or paired with companions, as in some of his larger paintings, these warmly nostalgic figures have evolved to speak to communities and individuals caught in the midst of uncertain times. Cheekily depicted wolves and monsters, pineapples, rain showers, galaxies, and brightly accessorized girls all come together in sweeping gestural marks of oilstick.

Adam Handler – internationally acclaimed Painter

Adam Handler, born in 1986 studied “Life Drawing” in Italy and received a degree from Purchase College in New York. He also studied craft design with Jorge Nieves and color photography with Debra Mesa-Pelly. Adam Handler’s work has been exhibited in New York, Greenwich CT, Canada and Texas. Childlike simplicity, quirky, colorful, primitive – these are just a few words to describe the extraordinary talent of New York born painter Adam Handler. His recognizable figures, such as bats, ghosts, and wide-eyed girls, embody an innocence and youthful energy that even the best artists would say is nearly impossible to render with fresh authenticity. Pablo Picasso said it best, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

Using acrylic paint, oil pastels, pencil and markers, Adam Handler’s childlike and passionate drawing technique creates distinct, contoured characters that appear almost flat, with little to no depth of field. The backgrounds of his works are highly detailed but rough, energetically drawn with scratches and marks that seem to spill over the edge of the canvas, giving a hasty and improvised feel. The work of Willem De Kooning helped Adam Handler have an aha moment: a figure doesn’t have to look like a figure, but can reflect the characteristics of a figure. Handler’s large-scale, imaginative figures connect the viewer with a sense of warm nostalgia or even a memory of days long past.

Solo Exhibitions:
2025
Loy Gallery- Somewhere Near Home- Singapore
Cohle Gallery- Here not There- Paris, France
2024
Artelli- Always Near You…Always- Macau, China
Square One Gallery- St.Louis, MO
2023
Villazan Gallery- For You- Madrid, Spain
Gallery JJ- Girl and The Ghost- Seoul, Korea
2022
Guy Hepner Gallery- Ghost Poems- NYC
Cohle Gallery- Love Land- Paris, France
Helwaser Gallery- Hanami Party- NYC
Granada Gallery- Spanish Hearts- Madrid, Spain
FNG ART at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall- Near You Someday – Taiwan
Caelis Galeria- Parallel Universe- Shanghai, China
Galerie COA- A Little Lost- Montreal, Canada
2021
D’Stassi Art- Ghost- London, UK
Trinity Gallery- Love at First Sight- Seoul, South Korea
42 Art Space- Sweet Stranger- Beijing, China
CB Gallery: CUT- Katonah, NY
Morton Contemporary- Day Dream- Philadelphia, PA
Madelyn Jordon Fine Art- HUG- Scarsdale, NY
Cohle Gallery- Twinkling Unknowns- Paris, France
2020
Spring/Break Art Show with CB Gallery- NYC
D’Stassi Art- London, UK
2019
Artual Gallery-Under Softer Summer Skies-Beirut, LebanonJanet Lehr Fine Art- New
Girls-East Hampton, NY
Rarity Gallery- Mykonos, Greece
Madelyn Jordon Fine Art- Between Nightmares and Fairy Tales-Scarsdale, NY
Ober Gallery- Angels Around Here-Kent, CT
2018
The Lane Contemporary- Things we dream about- Katonah, NY
One River School of Arts and Design- Smiling Eyes- Harstdale, NY
Brega Artist Space- Love Sick – Seoul, Korea
Janet Lehr Fine Art- Sweet Things- East Hampton, NY
2017
Janet Lehr Fine Art- Art Market Hamptons- Bridgehampton, NY
Madelyn Jordon Fine Art- Rebel, Rebel- Scarsdale, NY
Maison 10- Sweet Thing- NYC
Gold Coast Arts Center-Creative Crossroads- Great Neck, NY
2016
Children’s Museum of Westchester- Bat and Ghost paintings- Rye, NY
The Bendheim Gallery, Adam Handler: Flowers, Gardens and Little Things, Greenwich, CT
2015
Vered Gallery, Adam Handler: New Works, East Hampton, NY
Fred Torres Gallery- All Saints Here- NYC
The Bendheim Gallery and Fred Torres Gallery, How Long Can I Keep You, Greenwich
CT
2014
Fred Torres Gallery- American Children- NYC
Fountain Art Fair with Monica Buckle Gallery- NYC
Cutlog Art Fair with Monica Buckle Gallery-NYC
2013
The Bendheim Gallery in association with the Greenwich Art Council-Women paintings- Greenwich, CT
2012Vered Gallery- Love Junkies- East Hampton, NY
2011
Media Loft Gallery- Excitable Boy- New Rochelle NY
2010
The Bendheim Gallery in association with the Greenwich Arts Council-Born in the
80’s- Greenwich, CT
Adrian J Falcon Gallery-Words and Lips- Del Rio, TX
2009
POST Exhibit space-So smile- Calgary, Canada