Paintings
12 works
James McQueen Shit Happens | 1/1 For Sale
James McQueen
Shit Happens | 1/1
Mixed-media acrylic, spray paint, ink and silkscreen on fine art paper
66 × 99 cm
About this work
Among the most universal of human expressions, 'shit happens' distils an entire philosophy of stoic acceptance into two words. James McQueen takes this most direct of phrases and renders it on fine art paper in a layered mixed-media process combining acrylic, spray paint, ink, and silkscreen — a technique that brings both spontaneity and precision to the work. Measuring 66 × 99 cm and designated as a unique 1/1 edition, Shit Happens is at once disarmingly casual and formally accomplished. McQueen's layering of media creates surfaces that document their own making: spray paint mists across the ground, ink draws the eye, and silkscreen anchors the text with a graphic authority that echoes signage and poster art. Yet the fine art paper, the care of the process, and the deliberateness of the composition elevate the work beyond mere statement into something more considered. The phrase becomes an invitation to reflect rather than simply react. This work is representative of McQueen's broader project: the reclamation of vernacular language — the phrases passed between people in moments of frustration, resignation, and dark humour — and its transformation into lasting art. As a 1/1 unique edition, the piece offers collectors an entirely unrepeatable object, imbued with the directness and authenticity that has made McQueen one of the most sought-after text-based artists working today.
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Edition & Provenance
- Medium
- Mixed-media acrylic, spray paint, ink and silkscreen on fine art paper
About James McQueen
James McQueen Paintings for Sale | Guy Hepner, New York
James McQueen is a British artist born in 1977 whose paintings sit at the intersection of Pop sensibility, material obsession, and dry British wit. He works under a pseudonym, and his identity is secondary to the work — which is the point. What matters is what ends up on the canvas.
McQueen's paintings are built, not simply applied. He works in layers — paint over paint, colour over colour — then sands the surface back to expose what lies beneath, then seals it in lacquer. The result is a depth that photographs struggle to capture. These are surfaces you need to stand in front of.
His subject matter has ranged from reinterpreted Penguin paperback covers to politically charged commentary to the large-scale mixed-media Anthology works now available through Guy Hepner. Across all of it runs a consistent preoccupation: the visual language of mass culture, rendered monumental and unfamiliar by the seriousness of the craft brought to bear on it.
McQueen has shown extensively in London and is represented in significant private collections internationally.
Guy Hepner | 177 Tenth Avenue, New York