Gary Hume, new murals and paintings at Matthew Marks New York
Published on 08/28/2026 at 14:07 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Gary Hume sets the tone for Chelsea’s fall season with a solo exhibition at Matthew Marks Gallery in New York. As HENI reports on August 12, 2026, the show debuts new enamel-on-aluminum paintings alongside his first site-specific murals, opening on September 10 and running through October 24. HENI news article
Solo show at Matthew Marks
The Matthew Marks exhibition centers on approximately 20 new paintings by Gary Hume, including the enamel-on-aluminum work The Park from 2026, presented as a key piece in the gallery’s announcement. The show is scheduled at Matthew Marks Gallery on West 24th Street in Chelsea from September 10 through October 24, 2026.
According to recent exhibition listings and gallery information, the opening reception is planned for September 10, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, positioning Hume prominently in New York’s early-autumn gallery calendar. The New York solo show follows his presence earlier this year in group and survey contexts, but here the focus rests solely on his own new work. Exhibition overview entry
Murals with a political edge
The show’s most discussed element is a series of site-specific murals that Gary Hume paints directly on the gallery walls, based on cartoon characters originally installed at UK immigration reception centers for unaccompanied minors. As HENI outlines, these images were ordered painted over in 2023 by then immigration minister Robert Jenrick, a decision that sparked criticism in Britain’s art and activist circles. HENI report on the murals
In New York, Hume recreates and memorializes elements of those murals, transforming a contested episode of border-control policy into a reflective installation. The works pick up themes of hope, loss and vulnerability that have long run through his practice, while giving the gallery walls an almost institutional, waiting-room register that keeps the political backstory present.
All news and background on Gary Hume
For further reporting on Gary Hume’s exhibitions, market results and institutional projects, more coverage is available in the AD HOC NEWS archive.
The practice behind the show
Gary Hume is best known for high-gloss household enamel on aluminum, a technique he pursued since the late 1980s with the famous Door paintings that tied him to the Young British Artists circle. His current work continues to use flat planes of color and simplified forms, now folding in found imagery from popular culture and institutional spaces.
Hume’s approach often treads a line between abstraction and recognizability, favoring reduced contours and strong color contrasts. Statements cited in recent interviews emphasize his interest in balancing legible motifs with elements that escape immediate interpretation, an equilibrium he considers central to a ‘good painting’ and that structures the New York works.
Where the artist stands now
Gary Hume’s next confirmed date within the 30-day window is the opening of his solo exhibition at Matthew Marks Gallery in New York on September 10, 2026, with the show running there through October 24, 2026.
Key facts on Gary Hume
- Artist: Gary Hume
- Medium / Genre: Painting (high-gloss enamel), installation
- Born: 1962, Tenterden, United Kingdom
- Place(s) of practice: Studio in London, United Kingdom
- Active since: Late 1980s, with early recognition around the 1988 Freeze show in London
- Key work groups: Door paintings, Birds, Flowers, recent politically inflected mural-based works
- Current/last exhibition: Solo exhibition at Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, September 10–October 24, 2026
- Major collections: Tate (London), MoMA (New York), Centre Pompidou (Paris), other European and North American public collections
- Awards: Shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1996; represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1999
- Next date: September 10, 2026 – opening of solo exhibition at Matthew Marks Gallery, New York
Frequently asked questions about Gary Hume
When does Gary Hume’s solo exhibition at Matthew Marks Gallery open?
The solo show of new paintings and murals by Gary Hume at Matthew Marks Gallery in New York opens on September 10, 2026, and remains on view through October 24, 2026.
What is special about the murals in Gary Hume’s New York show?
The site-specific murals recreate and reflect cartoon images from UK immigration centers for unaccompanied minors that were painted over in 2023, turning a contested political gesture into a gallery-based installation.
Which earlier works and work groups define Gary Hume’s practice?
Key to Gary Hume’s reputation are the high-gloss enamel Door paintings of the late 1980s and early 1990s, followed by series such as Birds and Flowers, which combine simplified forms with strong color contrasts.
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.
