Painterly Abstractions
b. 1959
Peter Doig
Peter Doig’s tranquil and fantastical paintings are renowned for their kaleidoscopic landscapes and enigmatic, partially obscured figures. Drawing inspiration from his childhood memories in Canada, Doig captures the ephemeral nature of time and memory with a blurred, ethereal quality on his canvases. His settings range from serene oceans to dense forests, often featuring canoes as a recurring motif. Doig has held solo exhibitions at prestigious institutions such as Tate Britain, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, and the Dallas Museum of Art. His work has achieved over $10 million on the secondary market and is part of esteemed collections at the British Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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About Peter Doig
Peter Doig (Scottish, born April 12, 1959) is a celebrated painter known for his landscapes, influenced by his nomadic lifestyle and the evolution of modern society. Born in Edinburgh, Doig's early years were spent in Trinidad, London, and Canada. He honed his distinctive style while studying painting at Central Saint Martins and the Chelsea School of Art in London. Doig’s work, which evokes the tradition of romantic landscape painting, highlights the act of painting itself, blending abstract elements with everyday subjects. His unique approach has garnered widespread acclaim and solidified his place in contemporary art.
Where does Peter Doig live?
Although he still spends in time in Scotland and Trinidad, Peter Doig moved back to London and set up a new studio in 2021.
Early Works
Peter Doig's early paintings
Peter Doig’s itinerant life provides essential context for his work. Born in Scotland in 1959, Doig moved frequently during his childhood due to his father’s job at a shipping company, living in the United Kingdom, Trinidad, and Canada—locations he has revisited throughout his adult life. Since the 1980s, he has dedicated his career to painting landscapes infused with the history and memory of these places.
One notable example is "Pink Snow" (1991), created shortly after Doig graduated from the Chelsea School of Art in London. This work, like many others, features a solitary male figure set within a mysterious wooded landscape reminiscent of his time in Canada. The painting’s jewel-like decorative surface, depicting snow and its atmospheric qualities, acts like a screen that disrupts the viewer’s connection to the scene.
Inspiration
What inspires Peter Doig?
Peter Doig paints from photographic sources, including his own landscape photos, film stills, and images from newspapers and magazines. Rather than replicating these images, he uses them as tools to create works that evoke both individual and collective memories of place. In 1994, Doig was nominated for the prestigious Turner Prize, propelling him to international fame. His paintings depict a variety of scenes, from urban and rural landscapes to artists’ studios and solitary figures in fishing boats, focusing on the illusionistic properties of paint.
In his recent works featuring scenes of Trinidad, Doig revisits one of his childhood homes; he now maintains a studio there and also teaches painting at the School of Art in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Current Market
Where can I see Peter Doig Artworks?
Peter Doig's artworks are showcased in prestigious galleries and museums worldwide. Notable institutions featuring his works include the Tate Modern and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Additionally, his paintings frequently appear in major art fairs and global exhibitions.
How much do Peter Doig paintings cost?
In 2007, Peter Doig's painting *White Canoe* sold at Sotheby's for $11.3 million, setting an auction record for a living European artist at the time. In February 2013, his painting *The Architect's Home in the Ravine* sold for $12 million at a London auction. Art critic Jonathan Jones praised Doig, stating, "Amid all the nonsense, impostors, rhetorical bullshit and sheer trash that pass for art in the 21st century, Doig is a jewel of genuine imagination, sincere work, and humble creativity." (Jones, Jonathan (16 May 2015)."Stroke of genius: Peter Doig's eerie art whisks the mind to enchanted places".The Guardian.)
Peter Doig FAQ's
Paintings
Landscapes:
Doig's landscapes are not straightforward depictions of nature but rather dreamlike scenes imbued with a sense of mystery and ambiguity. Often set in remote and wild locations, his works evoke the mood of German Romanticism and Symbolism. The snow-covered forests, misty nights, and dense trees that populate his paintings are far from realistic; instead, they are deeply atmospheric, capturing an almost mythical sense of place.
White Canoe:
One of Doig’s most iconic works, White Canoe, exemplifies his ability to blend personal memory with universal themes. The painting features a solitary canoe reflected in the water, creating a serene and almost mystical atmosphere. The work reflects Doig's childhood experiences in Canada, where the image of a canoe on a still lake holds a symbolic significance. The painting achieved significant acclaim, setting a record at Sotheby’s auction in 2007 for a living European artist.
Trees:
Trees play a prominent role in Peter Doig’s paintings, often depicted in a way that makes them appear both familiar and otherworldly. The trees in his works often loom large, shrouded in mist or set against twilight skies, contributing to the dreamlike quality of his landscapes. These elements create a sense of timelessness, making the viewer feel as though they are peering into a distant, half-remembered dream.
Prints
Peter Doig’s prints are a vital part of his artistic practice, showcasing his ability to translate the painterly qualities of his canvases into print form. His printmaking, often created alongside his paintings, allows him to explore themes of light, shadow, and texture in a different medium. The Zermatt D1 series, for instance, reflects his fascination with landscapes, combining the textured layers of his painting techniques with the precision and clarity offered by printmaking. Doig's prints, like his paintings, often evoke a sense of place that is both real and imagined, offering a new perspective on his broader body of work.
Peter Doig at Courtauld
Peter Doig’s recent exhibition at The Courtauld Gallery marks a significant chapter in his career, featuring 12 new paintings and 19 works on paper. Since moving from Trinidad to London in 2021, Doig has continued to develop his distinctive style, creating works that are both rooted in his past and reflective of his new surroundings. Doig’s relationship with The Courtauld is particularly meaningful, as the gallery’s collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works has been a significant influence on his own painting and printmaking.
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