Artists Cecily Brown and Celia Paul explore their individual approaches to painting, daily studio practices and the images that continue to inspire them in a conversation moderated by Director of Programmes and Chief Curator, Lizzie Carey-Thomas.
While their artistic sensibilities differ significantly, Brown and Paul share a deep commitment to painting as a means of looking, memory and transformation.
Drawing on a vast range of visual sources, Brown creates dynamic, richly layered canvases, animated by vigorous brushwork, luminous colour and a continual play between revelation and abstraction.
In contrast, Paul’s intimate portraits and self-portraits explore the emotional depths of lived experience with sensitivity and restraint. Her work combines emotional intensity with stillness, inviting sustained reflection on the relationship between inner and outer worlds.
Their shared fascination with colour, painterly process and art history is reflected in an exchange of letters excerpted in the catalogue for Brown’s Serpentine exhibition, Picture Making. These writings offer a glimpse into the affinities and differences that shape their practices.
Picture Making is on view until 6 September 2026: https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/cecily-brown-picture-making/
Purchase the Picture Making catalogue: https://shop.serpentinegalleries.org/products/cecily-brown-picture-making-catalogue
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Video by SPILT
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