Last updated: 27 October 2026
Ian Davenport is the British painter who pours household paint from syringes into rows of coloured lines. Here you will find our take on his work, the free public painting you can see in London, and where his work is sold.
Our take on Ian Davenport
Davenport uses everyday tools, from watering cans and fans to hypodermic syringes, to pour household paint in controlled lines, according to Waddington Custot. As the gallery puts it, for him “the how to paint became the what to paint”.
He showed in Freeze in 1988, the Goldsmiths student exhibition that launched many of the Young British Artists, was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1991 and won the John Moores Painting Prize in 1999.
The easiest Davenport to see is free: Poured Lines: Southwark Street (2006), a 48-metre (157 ft) painting on Southwark Street, London SE1.
Ian Davenport: the essentials
- Born in Sidcup, Kent, in 1966; graduated from Goldsmiths in 1988.
- Showed in Freeze (1988); first solo show at Waddington Galleries in 1990.
- Turner Prize nominee, 1991; John Moores Painting Prize winner, 1999.
- Solo museum shows at Tate Liverpool (2000), Ikon Gallery, Birmingham (2004) and a retrospective at Dallas Contemporary (2018).
- Collaborations include Meissen porcelain (2016) and Dior, for whom he made Cascade in Toronto (2019).
- Represented in the UK by Waddington Custot.
Ian Davenport exhibitions
- Poured Lines: Southwark Street (2006), a permanent public painting on Southwark Street, London SE1. Free to see.
- Retrospective, Dallas Contemporary, 2018.
- Solo show, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, 2004.
- We found no new show announced.
Where to buy an Ian Davenport painting
- We found no Ian Davenport print on sale in the UK. His paintings are sold through Waddington Custot in London, with prices on request.
Ian Davenport FAQs
How does Ian Davenport make his paintings?
He pours household paint, often from syringes, so it runs down the surface in lines and pools at the bottom.
Where can I see an Ian Davenport for free?
Poured Lines: Southwark Street (2006) is a 48-metre public painting on Southwark Street, London SE1.
Was Ian Davenport in Freeze?
Yes. He showed in the 1988 Goldsmiths exhibition Freeze.
Did Ian Davenport win the Turner Prize?
He was nominated in 1991. He won the John Moores Painting Prize in 1999.
More from CoolCuration
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- British Art Fair review: modern and contemporary British art for sale in one room.
- Gifts for artists: our edit of presents for people who make things.
Think we’re missing something, got something wrong, or want to be featured? Contact us.
Main image: Ian Davenport, 2018. Still from a Studio International interview, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates and prices last checked: 27 October 2026.
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