John Currin - new London show Opening Credits at Sadie Coles HQ
Published on 08/19/2026 at 16:49 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
John Currin presents a new exhibition of paintings at Sadie Coles HQ in London. As the exhibition listings on DailyArtFair and a HENI news note confirm, the show Opening Credits runs at the gallery’s Savile Row space from June 4 to September 12, 2026.
The London show at Sadie Coles HQ
The exhibition Opening Credits takes place at Sadie Coles HQ, 17 Savile Row in London, and is listed among the gallery’s current shows from June 4 to September 12, 2026, alongside presentations by Yu Nishimura, Ugo Rondinone and Helen Marten.
A detailed review on Trebuchet Magazine describes Opening Credits as a focused suite of mid-size canvases where pairs and trios of women, with Currin’s signature exaggerated physiques, pose in Arcadian settings that draw on old-master compositions and mid-20th-century magazine imagery.
Currin in public museum collections
Beyond this London gallery context, John Currin’s work has entered major museum collections over the past two decades, including institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, which have presented his paintings within broader surveys of contemporary figurative practice.
In recent collection highlights shows at museums including the Guggenheim in New York and the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, his canvases have been installed alongside works by peers like Lisa Yuskavage and Elizabeth Peyton, underlining how his polished, mannerist-inspired figuration is positioned within a wider revival of painting in institutional narratives.
All news and background on John Currin
For further coverage of John Currin’s exhibitions, auction results and museum appearances, the AD HOC NEWS archive offers regularly updated reports and analyses.
The work core in Currin’s practice
John Currin works primarily in oil on canvas, building his images slowly with thin glazes that recall 17th-century painting techniques while mining vernacular sources such as fashion magazines, catalogues and pornography for his figures and poses.
Key work groups include his early 1990s portraits of middle-class American women, the later 1990s nudes that pushed toward caricature and controversy, and the more recent paintings where costume, historical reference and domestic interiors intertwine in elaborate, almost theatrical compositions.
Where the artist stands now
John Currin is currently active in his studio practice between New York and Europe, with the London exhibition Opening Credits marking a new cycle of paintings that extends his long-standing engagement with figurative painting and its art-historical references.
Key facts on John Currin
- Artist: John Currin
- Medium / Genre: Painting (figurative)
- Born: 1962, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Place(s) of practice: Studio practice centered in New York, with regular exhibition activity in London and other international art centers
- Active since: Late 1980s, with wider recognition from the early 1990s
- Key work groups: Suburban portraits, exaggerated nudes, domestic interiors with historical costume, Arcadian female groups
- Current/last exhibition: Opening Credits, Sadie Coles HQ, London, 6/4/2026–9/12/2026
- Major collections: MoMA (New York), Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), Moderna Museet (Stockholm), Guggenheim Museum (New York)
- Awards: Recognized through major institutional surveys and inclusion in leading museum collections rather than a single headline prize
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about John Currin
Where is John Currin currently on view?
John Currin’s recent paintings are featured in the exhibition Opening Credits at Sadie Coles HQ in London, running from June 4 to September 12, 2026, and his works appear in ongoing collection displays at institutions such as MoMA and the Guggenheim.
What characterizes John Currin’s painting style?
John Currin combines technically refined, old-master-style oil painting with imagery drawn from popular culture, fashion magazines and historical art, producing figures with exaggerated anatomy and often ambivalent, sometimes satirical narratives.
Which museums hold works by John Currin?
Paintings by John Currin are held in several major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum in New York, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm and the Guggenheim Museum, where they are presented in collection shows exploring recent figurative painting.
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.
