David Shrigley, Double Cheeseburger: End Of The World Giveaway, 2020

Double Cheeseburger: End Of The World Giveaway (2020) – David Shrigley Screenprint

About the Work

Double Cheeseburger: End Of The World Giveaway (2020) is an arresting David Shrigley screenprint that confronts the viewer with a characteristically deadpan combination of culinary indulgence and existential dread. Set against a flat, vibrant background, the central motif of a crudely rendered double cheeseburger is outlined in heavy black ink, its melting cheese and stacked patties depicted with intentional simplicity. This stark juxtaposition of everyday fast food with a catastrophic proclamation typifies the artist's celebrated style.

Through the text scrawled beneath the towering burger, the work channels a distinct sense of absurdity, transforming a staple of modern consumer culture into an apocalyptic peace offering. By framing a basic comfort food as the ultimate giveaway for the end of times, the composition reflects on human anxiety and our collective coping mechanisms in the face of global uncertainty. The play between the cheerful visual subject and the dark textual narrative creates a compelling tension that defines this graphic edition.

David Shrigley

As a Turner Prize nominee and celebrated member of the Royal Academy of Arts, David Shrigley has secured an enduring legacy within contemporary British art. Best known for his satirical drawings and public commissions, including his acclaimed Fourth Plinth sculpture in Trafalgar Square, his work is held in prestigious international institutions such as Tate and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

His practice relies heavily on translating the immediate, raw energy of ink on paper into highly controlled graphic editions. Acquiring a David Shrigley print allows collectors to engage with this unique visual lexicon, where deliberate imperfections and handwritten text bypass traditional aesthetic conventions to offer direct, democratic communication.

Screenprint Process

Released as a tightly controlled physical edition, the production of this graphic work required meticulous attention to detail to preserve the raw texture of the original drawing. Utilizing thick, archival Somerset Tub Sized paper, the screenprinting process demands multiple layers of rich, hand-mixed pigment to achieve the incredibly flat, saturated background colour. This deliberate material choice elevates a seemingly casual doodle into an object of substantial tactile and visual weight.

The master printers at Jealous Print Studio carefully calibrated the screens to capture every wobble and variation of the artist's original ink stroke. This collaborative dynamic ensures that each David Shrigley limited edition print retains the spontaneous, vital spirit of his drawings whilst existing as a refined, highly collectable piece of graphic art.

Collectability

Works featuring food motifs and apocalyptic humour command significant collector interest, marking them out as quintessential examples of the artist's peak creative period. The iconic imagery within Double Cheeseburger: End Of The World Giveaway ensures its strong secondary-market presence, as it instantly communicates the satirical wit that has made his output globally recognised.

Representing a major colour work from his highly active 2020 printmaking period, the piece remains a particularly desirable example of Shrigley's graphic output. With an edition size of just 125, the scarcity of this release, combined with the growing institutional recognition of his broader practice, continues to drive demand among discerning contemporary art collectors.