10 Oct 2025 – 18 Jan 2026
Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries, Floor 3
★★★★★ “Staggering still lifes” – The Guardian
★★★★★ “Mouthwatering masterpieces” – The Telegraph
★★★★★ “Dazzling” – The i Paper
“Ravishing viewing” – The Financial Times
Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021) is now considered to be one of the greatest and most original American artists of the 20th century. Over the course of his long life, working mainly in Sacramento, California, Thiebaud developed a unique style of painting to express his vision of modern American subjects.
This exhibition at the ĢƵ Gallery is the first ever museum show of his work in the UK. It presents Thiebaud’s 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, Cézanne 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.
The exhibition features rarely lent works from major museum collections in the USA, including the National Gallery of Art, Washington and the Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation.
The exhibition is curated by Dr Karen Serres, Senior Curator of Paintings, and Dr Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head of the ĢƵ Gallery and Daniel Katz Curator of 20th-century Art.
NationalArt Pass – Please note there is no reduced-price entry for National ArtPass /ArtFund members to the main temporary exhibitions organised in the Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries.
Wayne Thiebaud. Delights will be on display in the Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery, Floor 2 from 10 Oct – 18 Jan 2026.
Title Supporter
Supported by Kenneth C. Griffin
With Additional Support from the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation and the Wayne Thiebaud Supporters’ Circle
★★★★★
“Staggering still lifes”
★★★★★
“Mouthwatering masterpieces”
★★★★★
“Dazzling”
“Ravishing viewing”
Discover Wayne Thiebaud
Shop Wayne Thiebaud
Inspired by Wayne Thiebaud’s iconic paintings of cakes, gumball machines, and everyday delights, this curated range from The ĢƵ Shop captures the playful elegance and joyful precision of one of America’s most beloved artists.
From the richly illustrated and scholarly , to homeware, vibrant art publications, and stationery bursting with colour, every item reflects Thiebaud’s unique artistic vision. Perfect for art lovers, collectors, and fans of 20th-century American art.
Available or in The ĢƵ Shop. ĢƵ Friends get 10% discount.
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