As London’s spring breezes gently blow through Kensington Gardens, a magnificent exhibition inside accompanies this awakening of nature from the canvases. Serpentine South Gallery is welcoming world-renowned British artist Cecily Brown — who has spent the last 30 years in New York — with what feels like a homecoming celebration.
“Cecily Brown: Picture Making”, which opened its doors on 27 March and will run until 6 September 2026, marks the artist’s first major solo exhibition at a UK art institution since her presentation at Modern Art Oxford in 2005.
The Uncanny Beauty of Nature Breathing on Canvas
When you stand before Cecily Brown’s works, you feel you are not looking at a static painting, but at a living organism in motion. Inspired by Serpentine’s unique location in Kensington Gardens and the artist’s earliest memories of the English landscape, these paintings come alive with brushstrokes that seem to dance violently across the canvas. Striking, pulsating colours and dynamic compositions instantly pull the viewer into the painting and into the heart of nature.
Half-hidden in the depths of wooded areas, embracing lover couples, uncanny nature walks that shift shape among the trees and leaves… From a distance, Brown’s works evoke the nostalgic and innocent illustrations of children’s books, but as you dive between the brushstrokes, you encounter the dark, tense, and chilling subtexts of cautionary tales. Striking innocence and chaotic passion melt perfectly together within the same frame.
A Creative Process Spanning from Past to Present
The “Picture Making” exhibition is not only a homecoming but also a summary of the artist’s visual evolution. Brand-new works produced especially for this exhibition, inspired by Serpentine’s green surroundings, stand shoulder to shoulder with key paintings from the artist’s career dating back to 2001. In addition to the grandeur of the paintings, the exhibition also presents Brown’s recent monotype prints and drawings, laying bare the complex creative process in the artist’s mind for the viewer.
This dizzying symphony of colour at Serpentine South Gallery can be visited completely free of charge between 27 March and 6 September 2026.
Combining the awakening of spring in nature with art’s shattering brushstrokes, this exhibition is an experience not to be missed.
