Cecily Brown opens Picture Making at Serpentine
Published on 08/22/2026 at 17:46 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Cecily Brown is showing Picture Making at Serpentine South in London. Serpentine says the solo exhibition opened in March 2026 and runs until September 6, 2026, with new and recent works shaped by Kensington Gardens. Serpentine's 2026 program page
Picture Making at Serpentine
The Serpentine presentation marks Brown's first major one-person exhibition in the UK since 2005. The institution frames the show as a homecoming for a British painter who has worked in New York for decades.
The exhibition brings together paintings, monotypes and drawings. Serpentine also ties the new work to motifs that recur across Brown's practice, including nature, park life, woodland scenes and uneasy, animated figuration.
Why the London show matters
For London audiences, the scale matters as much as the subject. The gallery describes the exhibition as a landmark solo presentation in its 2026 program, which also includes the 25th Serpentine Pavilion.
Paula Cooper Gallery's museum exhibition page adds that the show includes key paintings dating back to 2001, so it reaches beyond a single new cycle and stages a longer arc of Brown's painting over 25 years. Paula Cooper Gallery's exhibition note
More news and background on Cecily Brown
Find more coverage on Brown's exhibitions, market presence and institutional context in one place.
How Brown paints
Brown's work is known for vigorous brushwork, vivid color and a constant push between abstraction and figuration. Her paintings often hold dense surfaces together with fragmented bodies, saturated color and a pace that feels immediate but carefully built.
That formal tension is visible in the Serpentine show. The institution highlights amorous couples, woodland scenes and cautionary overtones, while also presenting monotypes and drawings that widen the view beyond canvas alone.
Where the artist stands now
Cecily Brown's Serpentine South exhibition continues through September 6, 2026.
Cecily Brown at a glance
- Artist: Cecily Brown
- Medium / Genre: Painting (figurative-abstract)
- Place(s) of practice: New York
- Active since: 1990s
- Key work groups: Picture Making, landscape paintings, monotypes, drawings
- Current/last exhibition: Picture Making, Serpentine South Gallery, London, March 27 - September 6, 2026
- Next date: September 6, 2026, Serpentine South Gallery, London
Frequently asked questions about Cecily Brown
Where is Cecily Brown on view now?
At Serpentine South in London, where Picture Making runs through September 6, 2026.
What does the Serpentine show focus on?
It centers new and recent works inspired by Kensington Gardens and includes paintings, monotypes and drawings.
How long has Cecily Brown worked in New York?
Serpentine says she has been based in New York for the past thirty years.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
