John Currin

This survey of painter John Currin’s work, his first solo exhibition in a public gallery in the UK since 1995, traced the development of his career, from the early paintings of women and couples, to his idealised nudes inspired by old master paintings, and on to his scenarios of suburban and domestic life.

Currin, an American painter based in New York City, began working in the 1990s. In his recent work, he departed from his usual practice of working in series, painting idiosyncratic versions of portraits, genre scenes, still lifes and nudes, drawing on a range of influences from the Renaissance through to pop culture.

The exhibition was co-organised by the Serpentine Gallery, London and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.