Dispatch 10
March 2026

New Video
Discovering David Hanna: Alex Breede
“There's something in that painting that comes out, something honest, something true…he's like a king, but he's a king of something that doesn't have a crown.”

A single memory can unlock a new way to look at a beloved artwork. We recently interviewed David Hanna, a son of the artist and himself an author, historian, and teacher. Our conversation turned to the 1971 drybrush watercolor Night Watch, a striking painting of retired seaman Captain Alexander Breede (d. 1971).  In David’s view, the painting is his father’s greatest work.

Featured Artwork
Breede appears in several paintings and drawings made by the artist between 1968 and 1979, such as the masterpiece, Final Farewell, 1975. 

Final Farewell was selected for the cover of the catalogue that accompanied the 1977 exhibition, “David Hanna, Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings” at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The catalogue explores David Hanna’s development as an artist and recurring themes in his artworks. Referring to the works depicting Alex Breede, Curator Paul Chew writes:

“The Final Farewell deals with the moment when this very warm and rich friendship was sadly brought to a close. The years on the sea had taken their toll on the captain and he was forced to retire to a nursing home. Nine months later he died. David Hanna has chosen to immortalize the captain in the role he assumed for so much of his life. We see him in command, strong and confident.”

Message from The Trust
In a recent oral history interview with my brother David, he recalled being with our late father “on the rocks.”  He was talking of course about Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Bristol, Maine, where we lived in the caretaker’s house between 1967 and 1971, a period when our father began depicting the area’s rocky coast and its inhabitants. “I remember the sky, the smell of the sea, especially in the spring” says David. Our years at Pemaquid Point provided the foundation for a highly creative decade for our father, and his artistic life was inseparable from the moments of our daily life. Moments that included impromptu studio sessions, walks on the rocks and meals with Alex Breede.

A special thank you to my siblings for participating in this ongoing initiative.

Warmly,