Full Breakdown
David Shrigley Meets the Old Masters at Dulwich Picture Gallery
8/19/2026, 11:40:34 PM
Exhibition Overview
From 25 May to 5 September 2027, Dulwich Picture Gallery will host a major solo show by contemporary British artist David Shrigley. The exhibition pairs Shrigley’s new, never-before-seen commissions with original 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings by Jan Steen, Adriaen Brouwer, David Teniers the Younger, Adriaen van Ostade, Pieter Brueghel the Younger and Rembrandt van Rijn. The gallery describes the project as a dialogue that places works created almost 400 years apart side by side, highlighting how humor has long been used to observe everyday life.
Context and Artistic Dialogue
Shrigley, a past Turner Prize nominee known for line drawings and witty subject matter, last presented a solo museum show in the UK at the Hayward Gallery in 2012. Recent installations have included the 2021 “Mayfair Tennis Ball Exchange” and the 2025 “Exhibition of Old Rope” at the Stephen Friedman gallery. By juxtaposing his playful aesthetic with historic masterpieces, the show continues his practice of re-examining cultural conventions through humor.
Partnerships and Supporting Works
Key pieces from Dulwich’s collection will be complemented by loans from major UK institutions, expanding the range of historic paintings on view. The exhibition is positioned as one of the headline events in the museum’s 2027/28 programme, which also features a retrospective of French modernist Jacqueline Marval and a major survey of British-Pakistani artist Anwar Jalal Shemza.
Official Perspective and Anticipated Impact
The gallery expects the exhibition to revive playfulness in the context of historic art, reminding visitors that great art does not always need to be serious.
