Glenn Brown: ‘Studio’ at Frieze Masters 2025

Glenn Brown

The act of drawing and the use of lines have dominated my work for the past decade. There are many ways of creating linear marks, and innumerable surfaces on which to make them. 

To me, the line represents one of the most basic means of communication, one we have been using for at least 75,000 years, and probably for as long as we have had words. So, understanding what lines are saying is hardwired into our brains, and we are incredibly good at interpreting their slightest nuance. A line made by a hand attached to an arm joined to a body, all delicately controlled by a brain, is a complex thing. Put multitudes of these lines together and you have a cacophony, a symphony, a battlefield or a society. 

But what if the hand doesn’t always tell the truth? Maybe it pretends to be attached to someone or something else. Perhaps it’s playing a role – and we all love actors, don’t we? It could be an obsessive 17th-century Flemish Protestant, a flamboyant 18th-century Italian Catholic, or a spiritualist poet living at the edge of society in early 20th-century London. I attempt all these roles, and more, whilst painting or drawing. 

Influence, appropriation, copying or acting – it just feels like communication to me. Perhaps my hand is being very much itself; it understands that to tell its truth, it must use language or signifiers that are both comprehensible and entertaining. 

Glenn Brown is presented by Gagosian in Studio at Frieze Masters 2025 (Stand D09).

About Studio

Now in its third year, Studio, curated by Sheena Wagstaff, highlights the commitment of Frieze Masters to living practice in dialogue with historical art. By focusing on artists’ place of making, it reflects the idea of the past informing the present moment of creation in an object for the future. This year, the six featured artists are: Glenn Brown, Dorothy Cross, Anju Dodiya, Samia Halaby, R. H. Quaytman and Anne Rothenstein.

Explore Studio

Further Information

Frieze London and Frieze Masters The Regent’s Park, 15 – 19 October 2025. Tickets are on sale – don’t miss out, buy yours now. Alternatively, become a member to enjoy premier access, exclusive guided tours and more.

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^{Main image: Glenn Brown, The Laughing Stock of the Heartless Stars, 2024/2025. Indian ink, acrylic and oil on panel, 132 x 95 cm. © Glenn Brown. Courtesy: the artist and Gagosian. Photography: The Brown Collection}