Last updated: 26 October 2026
Cecily Brown is the London-born, New York-based painter of big, crowded canvases where bodies and brushstrokes run into each other. Here you will find the Cecily Brown prints and editions you can buy, where her work is on show, recent auction results, and our 4/5 review of her 2026 Serpentine show.
Our take on Cecily Brown
Brown paints in a rush of colour, and at first glance her canvases look abstract. Look longer and figures, animals and scenes from old master paintings come out of the brushwork, then disappear again. She trained at the Slade, moved to New York in the 1990s, and has had museum surveys at The Met, the Barnes Foundation and, this year, the Serpentine. “It’s that idea of wanting heaven and hell together, because the worst thing in the world can be happening on the most beautiful day,” she told W Magazine.
I gave Picture Making at Serpentine South 4/5. “Brown’s canvases practically vibrate with colour and movement,” I wrote, and on the way she returns to the same subjects again and again: “Some critics have found this repetition tiresome. We didn’t.”
Her paintings now sell for millions. So Cecily Brown prints are the only realistic way in, and even those are scarce: the Serpentine’s signed edition is £6,000, and its cheaper print has already sold out.
Cecily Brown: the essentials
- Born in London in 1969, and lives and works in New York, according to Thomas Dane Gallery.
- Studied at Epsom School of Art and Morley College, then took a BA in Fine Art at the Slade School of Art (1993).
- Her work is in the collections of The Met, MoMA, the Guggenheim and Tate.
- Survey shows include Death and the Maid at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2023) and Themes and Variations at the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia (2025).
- Represented by Thomas Dane Gallery in London and Naples, Paula Cooper Gallery in New York, and CFA in Berlin.
Cecily Brown exhibitions: now on and recent
- Now on: A sunset, a ruin, a crowd, and a battle, Thomas Dane Gallery, Naples, 29 September to 19 December 2026, as listed in the gallery’s news. There is no UK show on at the moment.
- Cecily Brown: Picture Making, Serpentine South, London, 27 March to 6 September 2026, free. Read our review.
- Woods Lands Meadows, Paula Cooper Gallery at Frieze House Seoul, 27 August to 19 September 2026.
- Cecily Brown: Themes and Variations, the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, 9 March to 25 May 2025.
Recent Cecily Brown auction results
Market signals
Averages over the last 36 months, in US dollars
Figures from the Artsy price database. Last checked: 26 October 2026.
Her auction record is High Society (1997 to 1998), which made about US$9.81m at Sotheby’s New York in November 2025, as HENI News reported. Works on paper and prints sell for much less. Two recent lots:
- The Smile and Shudder, 2020 to 2021, pastel on paper, 80.2 x 121.2cm (31 5/8 x 47 3/4in). Sold for £361,200 against an estimate of £250,000 to £350,000 at Phillips London, Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, 15 October 2026.
- The Cutter, 2021, giclée print, signed and numbered from an edition of 40, 73.7 x 58.1cm (29 x 22 7/8in). Sold for US$7,740 against an estimate of US$1,500 to US$2,500 at Phillips New York, Modern & Contemporary Art online, March 2026.
Prices include buyer’s premium. Last checked: 26 October 2026.
Where to buy Cecily Brown prints
The Serpentine’s print Terry & Julie (£960, edition of 200) has sold out. These are still available:
- The Agitated Stroke, £6,000: a 2025 three-colour silkscreen and etching on Arches paper, 57 x 82.5cm (22 1/2 x 32 1/2in), signed, numbered and dated from an edition of 28, from the Serpentine shop.
- Picture Making catalogue, £38: the 206-page book designed by Irma Boom, from the Serpentine shop.
- Exhibition poster, £10: an A1 poster of The Serpentine Picture (2024), from the Serpentine shop.
Our reviews featuring Cecily Brown
- Cecily Brown at the Serpentine review (Cool Factor 4/5): “Brown’s canvases practically vibrate with colour and movement.”
Cecily Brown FAQs
How much do Cecily Brown prints cost?
The Serpentine sells her signed edition The Agitated Stroke for £6,000. At auction her signed print The Cutter made US$7,740 in March 2026, while her paintings sell for millions.
Where can I see Cecily Brown’s work now?
Thomas Dane Gallery in Naples has a solo show until 19 December 2026. Her Serpentine show in London closed on 6 September 2026, and Tate holds her work in its collection.
Is Cecily Brown British?
Yes. She was born in London in 1969 and studied at the Slade, but she has lived and worked in New York since the 1990s.
Which galleries represent Cecily Brown?
Thomas Dane Gallery in London and Naples, Paula Cooper Gallery in New York, and CFA in Berlin.
More from CoolCuration
- Hurvin Anderson at Tate Britain review: another painter we scored highly this year.
- Best affordable art in the UK: where to start collecting without auction prices.
- Gifts for artists: our edit of presents for people who make things.
- Great Women Artists: the reference book to read after her show.
Think we’re missing something, got something wrong, or want to be featured? Contact us.
Main image: Cecily Brown in her studio. Photo: Victoria Hely-Hutchinson, courtesy the artist, via Serpentine. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates, prices, auction results and market figures last checked: 26 October 2026.
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