Madness Around Oscar Murillo: Why This ‘Messy’ Art Is Big Money Now
02.02.2026 - 19:00:31
You’ve seen paintings that look like chaos and thought: I could do that, right? Then you check the price tag and your jaw hits the floor. That’s exactly the energy around Oscar Murillo right now – and the market is eating it up.
Massive canvases, dirt from factories, scribbles, flags, workers’ tables, even school kids in the gallery – it’s all part of one huge project about power, class, and who actually gets to be in the art world. Collectors smell Art Hype. Curators call it essential. The internet is split: genius… or just expensive graffiti?
If you care about culture, politics, and what actually sells for Top Dollar at auction, you need to know this name: Oscar Murillo.
The Internet is Obsessed: Oscar Murillo on TikTok & Co.
Murillo’s world is pure content fuel: ripped canvases, words half-readable, flags hanging like protest banners, and videos of kids across the globe making their own drawings. It’s rough, it’s loud, and it looks like someone smashed a protest march into a luxury gallery.
On social, people post his paintings like mood boards: industrial dirt, candy colors, political slogans, all layered like a glitchy memory. Others film themselves walking through his installations, trying to decode what’s going on – is this about migration, work, or just flexing a museum selfie?
Want to see the art in action? Check out the hype here:
Comment sections are wild: some users call him a worker-hero of the art world, others say its chaos priced like crypto. Either way: the algorithm loves the drama.
Masterpieces & Scandals: What you need to know
Murillo isnt just painting pretty walls. His key works hit where it hurts: class, labor, migration, and who gets a seat at the table. Literally.
- "Frequencies" (global school project)
This is one of his most-talked-about pieces. Murillo fixed canvases to school desks all around the world and let kids draw freely on them over months. Later, these canvases landed in museums, still covered in doodles, dreams, and boredom scribbles. It turns anonymous school energy into a global portrait of youth, migration, and future workers. For TikTok and YouTube, its instant content: giant walls covered with kids marks, not "serious" adult art. - Rough, text-splashed canvases (the market darlings)
These are the pieces that go for serious Big Money. Think huge, layered paintings with fragments of Spanish and English, stains, drips, ripped bits, and industrial dirt worked into the surface. They feel like protest signs, factory walls, and advertising posters all mashed together. Collectors love them because they scream "contemporary" while still being big, physical objects you can hang in a vault or show off in a glass box house. - Flags, factory tables & installation works
Murillo often uses long hanging flags and work tables, sometimes re-created from actual factories or community spaces. You walk through them like youre in a workplace turned into a ritual. These pieces hit hard on the themes of labor, displacement, and class. They also photograph insanely well: silhouettes against flags, overhead shots of table setups – perfect for social feeds.
No huge scandals with his name in flashing red right now – but his whole practice is built around social tension: inequality, colonial history, and who usually gets ignored. The "scandal" is in the subject, not a tabloid headline.
The Price Tag: What is the art worth?
Lets talk numbers. Murillo isnt a cheap discovery. Hes already in the Blue Chip orbit.
At major auction houses, his paintings have pulled in high-value, six-figure results. One of his large canvases has reportedly sold for a serious Top Dollar price at international auctions, signaling that major collectors and institutions are fully on board. When pieces by an artist consistently hit that level, its not hype anymore – its a market reality.
Through blue-chip galleries like David Zwirner, primary market prices stay controlled and curated. Thats basically a velvet rope in price form: not everyone gets in, and if you do, youre paying serious collector money, not impulse-buy cash.
Is Murillo a "good investment"? Heres the cheat sheet:
- Hes collected by major museums and institutions worldwide.
- He has already reached record levels in auctions, not just one lucky sale.
- Hes still relatively young, with a long career arc ahead.
That combination puts him firmly in the Art Hype + Investment Potential zone. Not a speculative meme-artist, but a serious name curators and collectors keep backing.
Behind the numbers is a heavyweight story: Murillo was born in Colombia and moved to the UK as a kid, growing up between working-class realities and the polished art world. He broke through with raw, energetic paintings and smart, politically loaded installations, fast-tracked into top-tier galleries and museum shows. Within a short time, he went from studio grind to global art circuits, including some of the worlds most influential exhibitions.
That background – migrant story, class tension, global perspective – is a big reason why his work hits so hard right now in conversations around decolonization, inequality, and who gets visibility.
See it Live: Exhibitions & Dates
Museum walls and gallery floors are where Murillos work really hits you. The smells, the scale, the way flags and tables force you to move your body differently – you cant get that from a phone screen.
Current situation: there are no clearly listed, widely publicized upcoming exhibition dates with full details available right now in the usual public sources. That doesnt mean nothing is happening – it just means you shouldnt trust made-up dates.
No current dates available that can be confirmed in detail from open information.
If you want to catch Murillos work live, do this:
- Check his main gallery page regularly:
Official Oscar Murillo page at David Zwirner – they update with shows, fair appearances, and new bodies of work. - Look up the official artist/portfolio site here:
More info directly from the artist / studio (often includes projects, residencies, and special installations). - Follow major museums and biennials on social – Murillo often appears in group shows focused on global politics, migration, or painting now.
Pro tip: when he shows installations like flags or school canvases, tickets can feel like a must-see moment. Those are the shows everyone posts on their Stories.
The Verdict: Hype or Legit?
So where do we land? Is Oscar Murillo just another big-name painter whose messy canvases match expensive sofas, or is there more to it?
Heres the truth: you get both. On the surface, his works look like perfect background for a luxury loft selfie – huge, colorful, charged with raw energy. But underneath, they are wired with heavy topics: labor, migration, inequality, and the invisible people who keep the world running.
If you like your art polished and decorative, Murillo might feel too chaotic. If you want your art to punch back at the system while still playing inside it, hes your guy.
For the TikTok generation, Murillo is basically a live thread on how the world is structured: who moves, who stays stuck, who gets paid, who gets erased. And the fact that this conversation is now worth Top Dollar at auction – thats part of the twist.
Bottom line:
- As a Viral Hit: his visuals are made for cameras and scrolls – big, raw, and dramatic.
- As an Exhibition experience: his installations feel like walking into a global factory of memories, protests, and daily grind.
- As an Investment play: hes already in the Blue Chip conversation, with record-level prices and institutional backing.
If youre building a collection, watching the market, or just want to understand why a "messy" canvas can change someones life and bank account, keep Oscar Murillo on your radar. This isnt just paint on canvas – its a whole system under a microscope, and youre invited to look closer.
