WAYNE THIEBAUD : AMERICAN STILL LIFE

Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021) is considered one of the greatest and most original American artists of the twentieth century. This richly illustrated and scholarly catalogue accompanies the first-ever museum exhibition of his work in the United Kingdom, opening at The Courtauld Gallery, London in October 2025. The exhibition focuses on one of the most significant aspects of his career: his late 1950s and 1960s paintings and drawings of the (mainly) edible delights of modern America, from cakes and ice creams to burgers and gumballs.

Wayne Thiebaud: American Still Life will showcase the ways in which Thiebaud recast the genre of still life for the modern age and created powerful images of American consumer culture in the years of post-war expansion and optimism. It will chart the moment when Thiebaud found his artistic voice, creating a highly original way of painting and drawing in order to express his vision of modern American consumer culture, which he considered to be a vital subject for contemporary painting.

Thiebaud 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.

The exhibition and catalogue will feature rarely lent works from private collections and major museum collections in the USA, including the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, as well as the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation.