David Shrigley to Bring Contemporary Humour to Dulwich Picture Gallery in Major 2027 Exhibition

LONDON — British artist David Shrigley is set to bring his distinctive humour to London's Dulwich Picture Gallery in a major exhibition opening in 2027.

The exhibition will run from 25 May to 5 September 2027, bringing new works by Shrigley into dialogue with paintings by historic Dutch and Flemish masters including Rembrandt, Jan Steen and Pieter Brueghel the Younger.

The exhibition will create an unusual meeting point between contemporary British humour and centuries-old European art.

Shrigley is known for his deliberately simple drawings, sculptures and observations of everyday life. His new presentation will explore similarities between modern social behaviour and the comic subjects found in historic paintings.

The exhibition is particularly notable because it will be Shrigley's first UK solo exhibition in a public museum since 2012.

Dulwich Picture Gallery is also planning a wider programme of exhibitions around the presentation, including shows featuring French artist Jacqueline Marval and British Pakistani modernist Anwar Jalal Shemza.

The programme reflects a growing interest among British museums in bringing contemporary artists into conversation with historical collections.

Rather than presenting old master paintings as works separated from modern life, the exhibition aims to encourage visitors to consider how humour, social behaviour and human relationships have remained recognisable across generations.

For Dulwich Picture Gallery, the project offers an opportunity to attract audiences interested in both contemporary British art and traditional European painting.

The Shrigley exhibition could become one of London's most distinctive art events of 2027, particularly for visitors interested in the unexpected connections between modern visual culture and historic masterpieces.