Khalif Tahir Thompson sitting on a striped bench in his studio in front of his painting of two young men
Khalif Tahir Thompson in his New York studio, 2026. Photo: Matt Grubb, courtesy Victoria Miro. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration.

Last updated: 26 October 2026

Khalif Tahir Thompson is the Brooklyn painter of large, layered portraits of family, friends and the neighbourhood he grew up in. Here you will find our take on his work, where Khalif Tahir Thompson is on show now, the one book you can buy, and our review of his first Victoria Miro show in London.

Our take on Khalif Tahir Thompson

Thompson grew up in public housing in Canarsie, Brooklyn, and his paintings come back to that world: brothers, friends, rooms and streets, built up in paint, pastel and collage. “I believe painting can be a tool in considering the emotional and psychological complexity of an individual’s story and identity,” he said when Victoria Miro began representing him in April 2026.

He works fast and by instinct. “I like to just hit it and build a moment rather than plan a moment and execute,” he told Galerie.

I gave Send in the Clowns 3/5. Two Brothers is where the show works best, but the painting itself is less sure than the stories it tells, and it is not a show to cross London for on its own. If you are near Old Street before 7 November, it is free and worth half an hour. His auction market is very thin, with no public results in the last two years.

Khalif Tahir Thompson: the essentials

  • Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1995, and lives and works there, according to his Victoria Miro CV.
  • Studied painting and drawing at Purchase College (BFA, 2018) and painting and printmaking at the Yale School of Art (MFA, 2024).
  • Residencies include Kehinde Wiley’s Black Rock Senegal (2022), the Royal Drawing School at Dumfries House in Scotland (2023) and Yaddo (2025). He won the AAF/Seebacher Fine Arts Prize in 2023.
  • In the collections of the Rubell Museum, Pérez Art Museum Miami and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
  • Represented by Victoria Miro since April 2026, in partnership with Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery, which has shown him since 2022.

Khalif Tahir Thompson exhibitions: now on and recent

  • Now on: Khalif Tahir Thompson: Send in the Clowns, Victoria Miro, 16 Wharf Road, London N1, 8 October to 7 November 2026. Free, no booking, Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm. Read our review.
  • Beautiful Land, Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery, Paris, 29 May to 18 July 2026.
  • Bold: New Voices in Contemporary Art, a group show at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, 15 November 2025 to 28 June 2026. The museum bought his Garden Room (2024).
  • The Stories We Tell, with Tidawhitney Lek and Emil Sands, Victoria Miro, London, 14 November 2025 to 17 January 2026.
  • Cherry, Harvey B. Gantt Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, 31 January to 24 August 2025.

Khalif Tahir Thompson book

Neither of his galleries sells prints or editions, and we could not find any for sale in the UK. The monograph is the one thing you can buy:

  • Khalif Tahir Thompson (Skira): his first monograph, a 160-page hardback with text by Denise Wendel-Poray, listed in stock at Blackwell’s.

Our reviews featuring Khalif Tahir Thompson

Khalif Tahir Thompson FAQs

Where can I see Khalif Tahir Thompson in London?

Send in the Clowns is at Victoria Miro, 16 Wharf Road, N1, until 7 November 2026. It is free and you do not need to book.

Can I buy a Khalif Tahir Thompson print?

Not at the moment. Neither Victoria Miro nor Zidoun-Bossuyt lists any editions. His Skira monograph is available from Blackwell’s.

Which gallery represents Khalif Tahir Thompson?

Victoria Miro, since April 2026, in partnership with Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery.

Where did Khalif Tahir Thompson study?

Purchase College, where he took a BFA in 2018, and the Yale School of Art, where he took an MFA in 2024.

More from CoolCuration

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Main image: Khalif Tahir Thompson in his New York studio, 2026. Photo: Matt Grubb, courtesy Victoria Miro. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates and prices last checked: 26 October 2026.

Published by Tristan