Cinema and humor—two themes Alan was passionate about—recur in his work. But don’t try to guess what he was thinking; he wanted you to come up with that on your own. “People tell me a story about what they think the subjects are doing. Although their stories are invariably different from what I had in mind, I always say, ‘You got it,’ because it’s really their story, not mine.”

Alan Rubin was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He spent every summer in the countryside’s of New York State and Pennsylvania, where he gathered memories that never left him. After launching an eventful career in Washington, D.C., Alan looked to the Virginia countryside. When his wife, Susan, acquired a horse, they decided on equine friendly Delaplane for their forever home. In 1976, they bought a 1905 Victorian-style farmhouse there, where he converted an old barn into his art studio.

Alan specialized in realism, using mostly oil on canvas as his chosen medium. Running the Biograph Theatre in Georgetown had heavily influenced his style, so Alan got his inspiration from movies. As Alan described it, “I often paint scenes that are like single frames taken from a film with no context. I enjoy creating art that make the viewer look at life from many angles and viewpoints from our collective memory.”

After the Biograph closed in 1996, Alan still had big plans. “When we closed, I removed the letters from the building and rearranged them into a new sign: BIG ART HOPE. It hangs in my studio—I think this will be my last career.”

When Alan first started painting and found there were buyers for his works, he said, “It was hard parting with them at first; it was like selling a piece of my heart. Now, I find I like the idea of people having a little piece of my heart.” Ask Susan her favorite paintings of Alan’s, and she’ll tell you it’s his heart collection. Every Valentine’s Day, Alan painted a piece with a heart for Susan.

Alan died November 6, 2022, after a 16-year battle with Parkinson's Disease. His last wishes were for his art to be shared with the world, in part to provide for his widow. Proceeds from the paintings will go to Susan Rubin’s medical and living expenses. She's currently living  at White Springs in Warrenton, Virginia. Neighbors and friends have joined to create this exhibition to honor Alan Rubin’s memory and to fulfill his last wishes.