Wayne Thiebaud: American Still Life - Hardcover

by Barnaby Wright (Author), Karen Serres (Author), Rachel Teagle (Contribution by)

This catalogue accompanies the first UK show of Wayne Thiebaud's quintessentially postwar American paintings

Wayne Thiebaud is considered one of the greatest and most original American artists of the 20th century. This publication accompanies the first museum show of his work in the United Kingdom. Throughout his long life, working mainly in Sacramento, California, Thiebaud developed a unique style of painting to express his vision of modern American subjects.

This publication will present Thiebaud's remarkable, vibrant and lushly painted still lives of quintessentially post-war American subjects, from diner food and deli counters to gumball dispensers and pinball machines. These are the paintings that established Thiebaud's name in the USA in the early 1960s.

Thiebaud considered the everyday objects of American life to be a vital subject for contemporary art, and he saw his work as continuing the radical legacy of earlier still-life paintings by Chardin, Manet, Cezanne and others. Thiebaud believed in the importance of commonplace objects that might otherwise be overlooked or considered kitsch. His work turns hot dogs, lemon meringue pies and glossy cream cakes into the stuff of profound modern painting.

Published by Paul Holberton Publishing

Exhibition Schedule:

The Courtauld Gallery, London
(10 October 2025-18 January 2026)

Author Biography

Dr Barnaby Wright is Deputy Head of the Courtauld Gallery, London, and the Daniel Katz Curator of 20th-century art. Dr Karen Serres is Senior Curator of Paintings at the Courtauld Gallery, London. Dr Chloe Nahum is the Bridget Riley Art Foundation Curatorial Fellow at the Courtauld Gallery, London.