The Facts
Adrian Ghenie's new exhibition 'The Fear of NOW' opens at Thaddaeus Ropac London, featuring 20 new paintings and nine charcoal drawings. The Romanian artist, known for works addressing historical trauma and figures from 20th-century European tyrannies, turns his focus to contemporary screen obsession. Paintings depict twisted, monstrous figures transfixed by phones and laptops, often bound to chairs, with branded debris like Nike sneakers and McDonald's wrappers. The works include the 'Impossible Body' miniseries and 'Studio Scenes' all from 2022, plus six 'Untitled' oil paintings reworking Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe portrait.
The Signal
The exhibition marks a shift in Ghenie's technique, embracing charcoal for faster execution and flatter surfaces while retaining textural depth. This move signals an evolution from his earlier impasto-heavy style seen in his 'Pie Fight' series (2008-12), which critiqued authoritarian figures through slapstick. Ghenie's market strength remains notable: his painting 'Degenerate Art' (2016) sold for nearly $9.3 million at Sotheby's New York in May 2026, and 'Pie Fight Interior 12' (2014) achieved just under $10.4 million at Christie's Hong Kong. The gallery's presentation of this new, more chaotic body of work suggests continued collector appetite despite or because of Ghenie's deepening engagement with complex, critical subjects.
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- Artists: Adrian Ghenie, Andy Warhol, Philip Guston, David Cronenberg
- People: Joe Lloyd, Marilyn Monroe, Adolf Hitler, Vincent van Gogh
- Auction Houses: Sotheby's, Christie's
- Galleries: Thaddaeus Ropac, Galeria Plan B
- Locations: London, Cluj-Napoca, New York, Hong Kong, Palermo, Baia Mare
- Prices: US$9.3m, £8m, US$10.4m, £9m
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