Peter Doig

With House of Music, Peter Doig expands his painting into a dimension that had previously remained in the background: the relationship between image, music, and memory. What was once of personal significance becomes here a defining principle of his work – a structure that imbues pictorial space with rhythm and resonance. The point of departure is his exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery, where painting was directly linked to sound for the first time. Central motifs of his work reappear, yet their meaning shifts. The lion in particular – drawing on impressions from Trinidad while also charged with the symbolism of the Lion of Judah – takes on new significance. In Painting for a Poet, it appears isolated and present, almost iconic; in Lions (Ghost), the scene becomes more complex: playful movement meets an undercurrent of threat, intensified by art-historical references and deliberately composed color. The works interweave multiple layers – personal memory, cultural symbolism, and painterly tradition – into image spaces saturated with meaning, yet resistant to fixed interpretation. Thus, this group of works both continues and opens up Doig’s practice: toward a pictorial world in which memory, music, and imagination are even more closely intertwined. A space in which meaning can reverberate.

The works of Peter Doig are characterized by their universal relevance and contemporary atmosphere. With his fiercely eclectic style, the painter is able to impressively depict diverse motifs – from winter sports in the Swiss Alps to carefree life in the Caribbean. His emotional imagery combined with his ability to skillfully stage subjects never fails to impact the viewer. Both landscapes and figures come into focus as Doig intertwines art historical and personal references into his compositions. The Zermatt series was not Doig’s first exploration of winter motifs – he painted snowy Canadian landscapes in the 1990s. His enthusiasm for the alpine village of Zermatt and his friendship with Swiss artist Heinz Julen resulted in an extended stay between 2020 and 2021. He drew inspiration from his surroundings as well as ski resort advertisements to create his own interpretation of winter activities.

Intuition is at the heart of Peter Doig’s work process. He describes his approach as a journey whose destination is unknown. That said, a variety of sources – such as film and music – play an equally important role in the creation of his works. Tropical motifs, as seen in the Fischerman, are present in Doig’s most famous compositions. Having lived on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad with his family for many years, the origin of such themes is traceable.

Scottish-born painter Peter Doig is celebrated as one of the most important representational painters working today. Not only have his works been auctioned for millions, but they’ve also been exhibited in the world’s most notable museums, such as Museum of Modern Art in New York and the British Museum in London. Doig has served on the Tate Gallery's artistic board of directors in London and worked as an adjunct professor of painting at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.

Solo Exhibitions

Group Exhibitions