A major exhibition of new and recent works by Peter Doig is now open at The Courtauld Gallery

A major exhibition of new and recent works by Peter Doig is now open at The Courtauld Gallery.

Featuring 12 paintings and 19 works on paper, the exhibition includes a group of major canvases created since the artist’s move from Trinidad to London in 2021, presenting an exciting new chapter in the career of one of the most celebrated and important painters working today.

Sponsored by Morgan Stanley and supported by Kenneth C. Griffin and the Huo Family Foundation, with additional support from the Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, The Morgan Stanley Exhibition: Peter Doig is the first exhibition by a contemporary artist to take place at The Courtauld since it reopened in November 2021 following its acclaimed redevelopment.

Peter Doig (born Edinburgh, 1959) is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading artists. He secured his early reputation in the 1990s as a highly original figurative painter, producing large-scale, immersive landscape paintings that exist somewhere between actual places and the realms of the imagination. Layered into his paintings is a rich array of inspirations, such as scenes from films, album covers, and the art of the past. His works are often related to the places where he has lived and worked, including the UK, Canada and Trinidad.

In 2021 Doig moved back to London where he has set up a new studio. This new studio has become the crucible for developing paintings started in Trinidad and New York and elsewhere, which were worked up alongside completely fresh paintings, including a new London subject. The works produced for the exhibition at The Courtauld convey this particularly creative experience of transition, as Doig explores a rich variety of places, people, memories and ways of painting that have accompanied him to his new London studio.

As well as showing a major group of Doig’s new paintings in The Courtauld’s Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries, at the same time, the Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery is showcasing the artist’s work as a printmaker with a display that unveils for the first time a series of prints Doig made in response to the poetry of his friend and collaborator, the late Derek Walcott (1930-2017). For Doig, printmaking is an integral part of his artistic life: his prints and his paintings often work in dialogue with one another. By showcasing this vital aspect of his practice, visitors will be able to explore the full span of Doig’s creative process.

Doig has long admired the collection of The Courtauld Gallery. The Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists who are at its heart have been a touchstone for his own painting and printmaking over the course of his career. The works Doig has produced for this exhibition reflect his current artistic preoccupations, from remarkable landscapes to monumental figure paintings. Visitors will be able to consider Doig’s contemporary works in the light of paintings by earlier artists in The Courtauld’s collection that are important for him, such as those by Cézanne, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Pissarro and Van Gogh. The exhibition will explore how Doig recasts and reinvents traditions and practices of painting to create his own highly distinctive works.

Ernst Vegelin van Claerbergen, Head of The Courtauld Gallery, said:
‘We are excited to unveil this new exhibition of works by Peter Doig, the first since his return to London. The Courtauld’s great Impressionist collection is a touchstone for many artists. It offers the perfect context to experience how Doig’s work resonates strongly with the art of the past whilst charting new directions. We are grateful to Morgan Stanley, Kenneth C. Griffin, the Huo Family Foundation and the Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne for the generous support that has made this important exhibition possible.’

Clare Woodman, Head of EMEA at Morgan Stanley, said:
“Morgan Stanley is delighted to partner with The Courtauld on this major exhibition of work by Peter Doig, the third in the series of Morgan Stanley Exhibitions at the gallery. This exhibition provides a unique opportunity to experience Peter Doig’s work against the backdrop of The Courtauld’s world renowned Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection, enabling us to explore the way he draws inspiration from the past whilst creating new ideas and fresh ways of seeing.”

The exhibition is presented across The Courtauld’s Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries and the Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery. It is the third in The Morgan Stanley Series of temporary exhibitions at The Courtauld.

Friends get free unlimited entry to The Courtauld Gallery and exhibitions including The Morgan Stanley Exhibition: Peter Doig, priority booking to selected events, advance notice of art history short courses, exclusive events, discounts and more. To become a Friend, please visit courtauld.ac.uk/friends

The Morgan Stanley Exhibition: Peter Doig
10 February – 29 May 2023

Opening Hours: 10.00 – 18.00 (last entry 17.15).
Weekday tickets from £14; Weekend tickets from £16.

Friends and Under-18s go free. Other concessions available.