Marilyn Hamann: Kentucky Cool

Marilyn Hamann moved from Berkeley, California, to Lexington, Kentucky, in 1973 to teach in the Art Department at the University of Kentucky. Shaped by Bay Area artists such as Elmer Bischoff, Joan Brown, Richard Diebenkorn, and Wayne Thiebault, she brought with her a painterly sensibility that sought to balance abstraction, figuration, and a Pop sensibility. In Central Kentucky, Hamann sought out scenes, materials, and textures that were characteristic of this region such as driftwood, tile, textiles, rhinestones, and rural landscapes. Hamann thereby cultivated an aesthetic that reflected her unique sensibility and life experiences. This exhibition is a tribute not only to her artistic accomplishments but a community of friends and patrons who have preserved her work over the years. 

Photo credit: Marilyn Hamann, Ford Fairlane, 1980, acrylic on canvas. Collection of the UK Art Museum, purchase: National Endowment for the Arts, Patrons of the John Jacob Niles Benefit Concert and Friends of the Art Museum.