Last updated: 28 October 2026
Alex Hanna is the British artist who paints quiet, near-monochrome still lifes of pill packets, bubble wrap and other throwaway objects. Here you will find our take on his work, where to see Alex Hanna paintings, how to buy one, and his two small panels in this year’s War Child auction.
Our take on Alex Hanna
Hanna paints the things we throw away. Blister packs, pill dispensers, radiators and folds of fabric sit on white tables against white walls, in a narrow band of greys. The objects are banal, but the light on them is not. “White has no value unless it’s placed in a relationship to another colour,” he told the painter and collector Robert Priseman, quoted in Priseman’s 2014 essay on his work.
He has two lots in the War Child sale, both acrylic on panel. In Transition, two blister packs stand on a pale lilac-grey surface, one lit and silvery, the other turned into shadow. Reflection is darker and looser: a soft cluster of foil and plastic shapes, catching one bright highlight, almost dissolves into a mauve-grey haze. Together they read like the same subject seen at two times of day.
The ambiguity is deliberate. “At times I have found the need to explore the boundary between representation and abstraction and how the material qualities of paint become the subject,” he told Contemporary British Painting in 2022. His work is in several UK public collections, including Falmouth Art Gallery, so these panels are a modest way to own the real thing.
Alex Hanna: the essentials
- Took a foundation course at Wirral Metropolitan College in 1982, a BA in Fine Art at Sunderland Polytechnic from 1983 to 1986, and a PGCE at Liverpool Polytechnic in 1988 to 1989, according to his own site.
- Works from a small studio in east London, according to his Saatchi Art profile.
- Paints with a limited palette built on lead white, with yellow ochre, cadmium red, ultramarine, emerald green and ivory black.
- Has shown in the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery (2012), the Marmite Prize for Painting, the Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize and several Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions.
- Won the Artist’s Surface Award from Artist Support Pledge in 2025, according to his War Child lot notes.
- His work is in public collections including the Yale Center for British Art, Falmouth Art Gallery, Swindon Art Gallery and Museum, Lakeland Arts, Rugby Art Gallery, the University of Arizona Museum of Art and the Priseman Seabrook Collection.
Where to see Alex Hanna now
- Coming up: Sound & Vision 2026, a War Child charity auction online from 27 October to 12 November 2026, with the works on view at Iconic Images Gallery, London, 6 to 8 November. The pieces are Reflection (2026), acrylic on panel, 21 x 15 cm (8.3 x 5.9 in), lot page, and Transition (2026), acrylic on panel, 21 x 15 cm (8.3 x 5.9 in), lot page.
- Summer Exhibition 2026 (group), Royal Academy of Arts, London, 16 June to 23 August 2026.
- ING Discerning Eye 2025 (group), Mall Galleries, London, 14 to 23 November 2025.
- Fables, Swanfall Art Annual Exhibition (group), Mall Galleries, London, 26 to 31 August 2025.
How to buy an Alex Hanna painting
There are no Alex Hanna prints or editions on sale. His original paintings sell online and through the charity auction:
- Reflection, 2026: a small acrylic on panel in the War Child Sound & Vision auction, bidding from £100 until 12 November 2026 (bid here).
- Transition, 2026: a small acrylic on panel in the same auction, bidding from £100 until 12 November 2026 (bid here).
- Paintings: original works listed on Saatchi Art, or by enquiry through his own site.
Alex Hanna FAQs
What does Alex Hanna paint?
Still lifes of everyday, often disposable objects such as pill packets, bubble wrap, radiators and drapery, in a pale, limited palette.
Where did Alex Hanna study?
He took a BA in Fine Art at Sunderland Polytechnic from 1983 to 1986, after a foundation course at Wirral Metropolitan College.
Can I buy an Alex Hanna print?
Not at the moment. There are no prints or editions; his original paintings are listed on Saatchi Art.
Which collections own his work?
Public collections include the Yale Center for British Art, Falmouth Art Gallery, Swindon Art Gallery and Museum, Lakeland Arts and Rugby Art Gallery.
Where can I see his work in London?
His two War Child pieces are on view at Iconic Images Gallery from 6 to 8 November 2026.
More from CoolCuration
- Art on a Postcard: another charity art sale, which he also took part in in 2025.
- British Art Fair review: modern British art at the Saatchi Gallery.
- Great Art Explained: a readable guide to the paintings behind the canon.
- Best affordable art in the UK: prints and originals under £500.
Think we’re missing something, got something wrong, or want to be featured? Contact us.
Main image: Alex Hanna in the studio, 2022. Courtesy the artist, via Contemporary British Painting. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates, prices, auction results and market figures last checked: 28 October 2026.
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