IN CONVERSATION: Gary Hume and Martin Gayford - 26 June 2026

Gary Hume has carved out a singular position in British contemporary art. Establishing himself alongside the Young British Artists in the 1990s, Hume fuses high-modernist formalism with an emphatic sign-like quality. His work often combines found images and personal memories that mediate on the sublime of the everyday, the fleetingness of memory and the fragility of life.

In this discussion with Martin Gayford, Hume will explore the evolution of his practice, spanning his iconic Door paintings, his continued experimentation with high-gloss industrial paint and his recent engagements with mortality and memory. Together, they'll examine the opportunities and dilemmas that have shaped Hume's distinctive path and his remarkable contribution to contemporary British painting.

The conversation will be followed by a signing of Gary Hume: Begging for It.

Gary Hume RA is one of the leading British painters and sculptors of his generation. His art has been exhibited globally at institutions including Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens (2020), Aspen Art Museum (2016), Tate Britain (2013), the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2006), the Irish Museum of Modern Art (2003), the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2001) and The National Galleries of Scotland (1999). He was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1996 and won the Jerwood Painting Prize in 1997. He was elected a Royal Academician in 2001.

Martin Gayford is an art historian, writer and art critic. He is the author of critically acclaimed biographical studies on Van Gogh, Constable and Michelangelo and has been art critic of The Spectator and The Sunday Telegraph. He has written extensively on contemporary art. His most recent book, How Painting Happens (2024), includes observations and work by Gary Hume.