Old Cat (2022) – David Shrigley Screenprint

About the Work

Old Cat (2022) is a striking David Shrigley screenprint that immediately arrests the viewer with its bold, saturated composition. Against a vivid electric-blue background, a crudely rendered black cat silhouette stands with stark simplicity, accompanied by the artist's signature hand-rendered text. This deliberate contrast between the highly saturated background colour and the flat, graphic quality of the feline form defines the visual tension of the composition.

Mapped to the emotional register of Melancholy, the work captures the bittersweet vulnerability of watching a beloved domestic companion age. The slightly distressed text, combined with the cat's wide, singular eye, translates a sense of quiet desperation and enduring affection into a universal narrative. Through these naive forms, the artist transforms a simple domestic observation into a poignant meditation on mortality and loyalty.

David Shrigley

Celebrated for his biting wit and satirical observations of daily life, David Shrigley has secured an enduring position within contemporary British art. His distinguished career includes a Turner Prize nomination in 2013 and the prestigious Fourth Plinth commission in Trafalgar Square for his monumental sculpture Really Good. With regular appearances at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and representation in major museum collections globally, his institutional significance remains undisputed.

The transition from spontaneous ink drawings on paper to the structured medium of printmaking has allowed the artist to democratise his practice while preserving the raw immediacy of his line work. Each David Shrigley print acts as a cultural shorthand, using deceptive simplicity to deliver profound psychological insights. This tension between high-art production and low-fi aesthetic continues to define his sought-after editions.

Screenprint Process

Created in collaboration with the renowned Jealous Gallery in London, this edition exemplifies the technical precision required to replicate the artist's intense gouache colours. Printed on heavy Somerset tub 410gsm paper, the work utilises multiple layers of rich ink to achieve its flat, velvet-like surface. This rigorous production process ensures that the dense black of the cat and the radiant blue of the background retain their exceptional depth and visual weight.

The meticulous nature of the screenprint process at the studio elevates the raw, expressive brushstrokes into a highly refined graphic object. Through this medium, the David Shrigley limited edition print achieves a tactile presence that digital processes cannot replicate, capturing the subtle variations of the hand-drawn original. This dialogue between the publisher and the artist results in a finished piece that is both a technical triumph and an authentic representation of his creative vision.

Collectability

Prints featuring the artist's celebrated animal subjects consistently command significant collector interest on the international secondary market. This particular motif, which pairs a recognisable graphic creature with highly emotive text, represents the most coveted category of his graphic output. Fusing dry humour with genuine pathos, such compositions hold broad cross-cultural appeal and remain central to his identity as a printmaker.

Representing a highly sought-after animal motif from his 2022 printmaking output, Old Cat remains a particularly desirable example of his graphic oeuvre. With a relatively small edition size of 125, this work represents a scarce opportunity within an established market characterised by high demand and limited availability. Its enduring appeal ensures that it continues to be a focal point for both seasoned and emerging collectors of contemporary editions.

Artwork Specifications

• Artist: David Shrigley (British, b. 1968)
• Title: Old Cat
• Medium: 12 colour screenprint with varnish overlay on Somerset Tub Sized 410 gsm paper
• Dimensions: 76 x 56 cm
• Edition: Edition of 125
• Year: 2022
• Publisher: Jealous Gallery
• Markings: Signed and numbered on the back
• Provenance: Sold with COA from Jealous Gallery