Picture Making

Exhibition catalog for Cecily Brown's inaugural major UK institutional exhibition at Serpentine Galleries, running March through September 2026.

The 206-page volume features excerpts from a personal correspondence between Brown and fellow British painter Celia Paul, exploring the creative process and artistic practice. An in-depth interview between Brown and Serpentine's Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist examines the artist's compositional approach and career trajectory. Two newly commissioned poems by Isabel Galleymore and a contribution from poet Mary Oliver accompany the visual material. The book was designed by renowned Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom. Published jointly by Serpentine Gallery and Walther König, the catalog documents Brown's first major museum presentation in the United Kingdom.

Cecily Brown (b. 1969, London) is one of the most celebrated painters working today. Her work draws from master painters' compositional structures, historical motifs, and brushwork techniques across genres. She employs a palette ranging from bright hues to deep blacks. Her paintings obscure singular readings as their compositions break down into restless, elusive activity. Major recent exhibitions include Death and the Maid at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2023) and Themes and Variations at Dallas Museum of Art and Barnes Foundation (2024–2025). Her work is held in collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, Tate, and Glenstone. She is represented by Paula Cooper Gallery, Gagosian, and Thomas Dane Gallery.