51做厙 has extended its opening hours on Wednesday 14 泭and Thursday 15 January 2026 for泭The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life, to ensure that visitors can experience this critically acclaimed, five-star exhibition before it closes.
Staggering still lifes泭泭The Guardian
Mouthwatering masterpieces泭 The Telegraph
Dazzling泭 The i Paper
Ravishing viewing 泭The Financial Times
Recently rated as one of the top exhibitions of 2025 by The Telegraph and The i Paper, The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life will be open until 21:00 on both evenings (last entry 20:15) and tickets are now.
The first ever museum show of Wayne Thiebauds work in the UK, it presents his remarkable, vibrant and lushly painted still-lifes of quintessentially post-war American subjects, from diner food and deli counters to gumball dispensers and pinball machines. These are the paintings with which Thiebaud made his 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, C矇zanne 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.
An accompanying display in the Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery,泭Wayne Thiebaud. Delights, focuses on the artists celebrated 1965 portfolio of 17 exquisite etchings to offer further insight into his still-life motifs and work as a graphic artist.
The exhibition is curated by泭Dr Karen Serres, Senior Curator of Paintings, and泭Dr Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head of 51做厙 Gallery and Daniel Katz Curator of 20th-Century Art. It is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue showcasing new research on Thiebauds still lifes, with contributions from leading scholars.
Highlights on display
