H. Craig Hanna was born in Cleveland in the United States in 1967. A New York painter by training, he studied at the Fine Art Syracuse University, then at the Fine Arts School of Visual Arts, before specializing at the New York Academy of Figurative Art. He began exhibiting his work at the age of 29 and quickly, his works met with great success. In 1998, an entire floor was reserved for him at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. He then exhibited in London, Hong Kong and Malta. Twice selected for the National Gallery BPPortrait Award, he won an award in 2001 for his work Carlos sitting on a clear plastic chair.

Reviving the tradition of American painters who, from Sargent to Hopper, left America for Europe, H. Craig Hannah lived in Malta, London and today lives in Paris. Following his meeting with Laurence Esnol in 2006 and his first Parisian exhibition in 2008, H. Craig Hanna moved to Paris where he exhibited permanently and as a world exclusive at Laurence Esnol Gallery.

H. Craig Hanna has been painting in oils since his time at the School of Visual Arts in New York between 1994 and 1996. His taste for classic figurative painting, based on live models and from nature, comes from this period. .Through contact with his painting teacher John Foots, he became aware of the Great Masters of figurative painting, notably Rembrandt, Velázquez, Sargent and Ingres. The Metropolitan Museum of Art occupies a fundamental place in his academic training. Regular visits to the museum’s works, particularly those of Velázquez, allowed him to perfect his pictorial education and strengthen his style. A highly demanding virtuoso painter, H. Craig Hanna sees the Great Masters as an artistic horizon to be surpassed. Studying the work of painters like Bonnard or Vuillard, and the Austrian expressionists Kokoschka and Schiele, allowed him to emancipate himself from his classical influences, discovering new important aspects in painting, such as the role of color and composition.

Renouant avec la tradition des peintres américains qui, de Sargent à Hopper, sont partis d’Amériquevers l’Europe, H. Craig Hannah a vécu à Malte, Londres et vit aujourd’hui à Paris. Suite à sa rencontreavec Laurence Esnol en 2006 et sa première exposition parisienne en 2008, H. Craig Hanna s’installeà Paris où il expose en permanence et en exclusivité mondiale chez Laurence Esnol Gallery.

H. Craig Hanna peint à l’huile depuis son passage à la School of Visual Arts de New York entre 1994 et 1996.Son goût pour la peinture figurative classique, d’après modèle vivant et d’après nature, lui vient de cette époque.Au contact de son professeur de peinture John Foots, il est sensibilisé aux Grands Maîtres de la peinture figurative, notamment Rembrandt, Vélasquez, Sargent et Ingres. Le Metropolitan Museum of Art occupe une place fondamentale dans sa formation académique. La fréquentation assidue des œuvres du musée, notamment celles de Vélasquez, lui permet de parfaire son éducation picturale et d’affermir son trait. Peintre virtuose d’une grande exigence, H. Craig Hanna voit les Grands Maîtres comme un horizon artistique à dépasser. L’étude du travail de peintres comme Bonnard ouVuillard, et des expressionnistes autrichiens Kokoschka et Schiele, lui a permis de s’émanciper de ses influences classiques, en découvrant de nouveaux aspects importants en peinture, comme le rôle de la couleur et la composition