The Courtauld Gallery is extending its opening hours until 9PM on Wednesday, 14th and Thursday, 15th January for its critically acclaimed The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life, the first ever museum exhibition in the UK of the celebrated modern American artist.
One of the most original American artists of the 20th century, Wayne Thiebaud developed a unique style of painting to express his vision of post-war American culture through its everyday objects.
This acclaimed exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery focuses on Thiebaud’s break-out works of the 1960s that made his name – lush and captivating depictions of quintessential modern American subjects, from cherry pies, hot dogs and candy counters to gumball dispensers and pinball machines. With these works, Thiebaud recast the genre of still life for the modern era.
Thiebaud considered the everyday objects of American life to be a vital subject for contemporary art, and he saw his work as continuing the radical legacy of earlier still-life paintings by Chardin, Manet, Cézanne and others. He believed in the importance of commonplace objects that might otherwise be overlooked or considered kitsch. His work turns hot dogs, lemon meringue pies and glossy cream cakes into the stuff of profound modern painting.
An accompanying display in the Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery, Wayne Thiebaud. Delights, focuses on the artist’s celebrated 1965 portfolio of 17 exquisite etchings to offer further insight into his still-life motifs and work as a graphic artist.
The Courtauld Research Forum will host Research Notes: Wayne Thiebaud’s American Still Lives on Thursday 15th January, 5:30PM– 7PM. This panel will look afresh at Thiebaud’s work, putting it into dialogue with that of other American artists. The event will take place at the Courtauld’s Vernon Square campus and is free to attend. It is organised by Dr Lucy Bradnock, Reader in Modern and Contemporary Art and Dean for Research, in collaboration with the Courtauld Centre for the Art of the Americas, directed by Professor Jo Applin.
The exhibition is curated by Dr Karen Serres, Senior Curator of Paintings, and Dr Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head of the Courtauld Gallery and Daniel Katz Curator of 20th Century Art. It is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue showcasing new research on Thiebaud’s still lifes, with contributions from leading scholars.
Courtauld Gallery?, Somerset House, Strand? London WC2R 0RN Opening hours: 10AM – 6PM (last entry 17.15)? Open until 9PM on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th January 2026 Book tickets here
Temporary Exhibition tickets (including entry to our Permanent Collection and displays) – from £18. Friends and under-18s go free. Other concessions available.?
