David Shrigley Art for Sale: Prints & Originals

David
Shrigley

David Shrigley is a British artist whose darkly humorous drawings, sculptures, paintings and installations often feature simplistic line drawings and commentary on the human condition. If you’re looking for original David Shrigley prints and editions for sale or would like to sell, request a complimentary valuation and browse our network’s most in-demand works.

Biography

David Shrigley is a British visual artist, renowned for his satirical and humorous drawings, sculptures, and animated films. Born on September 17, 1968, in Macclesfield, England, Shrigley grew up in the Scottish city of Glasgow, where he later attended the prestigious Glasgow School of Art. Graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1991, Shrigley's unique talent for creating art that is both accessible and thought-provoking has made him a celebrated figure in the contemporary art world.

Shrigley's early work consisted primarily of pen-and-ink drawings, often accompanied by wry, absurd, and darkly comedic text. As his reputation grew, he expanded his practice to include sculpture, photography, painting, and animation. Throughout his diverse body of work, Shrigley has maintained a signature style that blends crude, childlike drawings with a sophisticated wit and incisive commentary on the absurdities of everyday life. This has earned him a loyal following and significant critical acclaim.

David Shrigley's distinctive visual style and humorous, subversive approach to art have made him one of the most celebrated artists of his generation. His work continues to engage and entertain audiences worldwide, offering a unique perspective on the human experience through modern art.

Today, David Shrigley remains a renowned British visual artist known for his satirical and humorous artwork, spanning across diverse mediums such as drawings, sculptures, and animated films. With a career spanning over three decades, Shrigley's unique art style and wit have earned him a loyal following and critical acclaim, including a Turner Prize nomination in 2013. From solo gallery exhibitions to public sculptures and commercial collaborations, Shrigley's art continues to engage, entertain, and challenge audiences around the world.

Shrigley's work has been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide. Notable shows include his first major museum survey, “Brain Activity,” held at London's Hayward Gallery in 2012, which earned him his 2013 Turner Prize nomination, and “Lose Your Mind,” an exhibition that toured internationally in 2015, and again in 2018.
His artworks have been collected and displayed by prestigious museums globally, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, and, in the UK, at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
One of Shrigley's most iconic public sculptural works, Really Good, was unveiled in 2016 in Trafalgar Square, London. The sculpture, a giant hand with an elongated thumb, formed part of the city's Fourth Plinth program, which invites contemporary artists to create temporary sculptures for the iconic space. Really Good attracted widespread attention and debate, with many interpreting the sculpture and Shrigley's exaggerated optimism as a sardonic commentary on the social and political climate of the time.
One of Shrigley's most famous and enduring projects is his series of fake album covers, which he began creating in the 1990s. These faux record sleeves feature entirely fictitious bands and album titles, with Shrigley's distinctive artwork gracing the covers. The project humorously exposes the arbitrary nature of the music industry's marketing and packaging strategies, while simultaneously showcasing the artist's unique visual language.
In addition to his work in the fine arts, Shrigley has collaborated with various musicians and bands, including Franz Ferdinand and Blur's Damon Albarn. He has also produced a range of commercial products featuring his distinctive artwork, such as books, posters, and even a line of homeware in collaboration with the British company Flying Tiger.

Tea, a traditional English favourite, is a social ritual often associated with light snacks, cakes, and scones. Therefore, it is unsurprising that this work was included in Sotheby’s Made In Britain sale, realising a price of £18,900 and standing as his third highest selling work. Unlike his usual screen prints, this work is a black-and-white photograph of a classic teapot. From an art historical perspective, this could be interpreted as a still life. The monochromatic print suggests the history of tea. Yet, Shrigley has transformed this into a contemporary work of art and commentary on a material item and embedded with humour and irony, as he has deliberately scribbled out the teapot with black marker and has written directly underneath 'NO TEA’. As much of his art, the interpretation is left to the viewer and boasts the question, could you live without tea?