The Dutch House
Becky Suss (American, b. 1980). The Dutch House (Mirror in Danny’s Room), 2023. Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. © Becky Suss
On exhibition
September 7, 2024 – January 5, 2025
Located on the first floor of The Baker Museum
This solo exhibition of new paintings by Becky Suss was inspired by American author Ann Patchett’s 2019 novel, The Dutch House, which chronicles two adult siblings recalling their childhoods and the subsequent dissolution of their family over several decades. A central character in the novel is the “Dutch House,” their childhood home. In her Dutch House paintings, Suss portrays her vision of the fictional mansion by interpreting both literary details from Patchett’s narrative and by incorporating details specific to her own biography.
Suss plays with perspective, patterning and scale to create flattened compositions that represent how memories are stored in the human mind. She considers how the act of painting — through shifting scale, distorting perspective and combining disparate references — mirrors the elasticity of memory, continually reformed and revised. With a unique ability to render the large-scale intimate, Suss’ paintings visibly bring new life to The Dutch House, underscoring the role that contemporary art plays in storytelling.
Visit the Exhibition
Reserve your museum tickets online.
Museum Admission
Selected Works
Becky Suss (American, b. 1980). The Dutch House (Drawing Room), 2023. Oil on canvas, 84 x 60 in. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. © Becky Suss
Becky Suss (American, b. 1980). The Dutch House (Kitchen), 2023. Oil on canvas, 84 x 60 in. Collection of Sara Friedlander & Matthew Siegel. © Becky Suss
Associated Events
Artist Talk
Becky Suss
The Dutch House
Due to Hurricane Milton, this event has been postponed until December, and the date of this lecture is to be determined.
Saturday at Noon
Ubben Signature Event Space
Exhibiting artist Becky Suss presents an artist talk on her solo exhibition, Becky Suss: The Dutch House, at The Baker Museum. Suss will discuss her artistic career, focusing on her detailed paintings that explore psychological space and the influence of literature on her work. She also addresses her use of children’s literature to elevate domestic spaces, challenging the marginalization of child-rearing and responding to generations of women who suppressed their aspirations to assume traditional homemaking roles.
The Dutch House is organized and made possible by ICA Chattanooga, a program of University of Tennessee Chattanooga, and curated by Rachel Waldrop. Originating support for The Dutch House was provided by UTC College of Arts and Sciences. The presentation of this exhibition at Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum is curated by Courtney McNeil, museum director and chief curator.