Gary Hume was born in Kent in 1962. He has a studio in Suffolk. His first acclaimed paintings were called ‘Door’ paintings. They were painted using domestic high gloss paint, which is still what he almost always uses. His other early subjects were nudes, and portraits. Hume’s paintings are best known for their intriguing outlines, simplified forms and unique use of colour.

His large-scale ‘Water Paintings’ involved multiple images one over another. An exhibition at White Cube in 2006 called ‘Cave Paintings’ involved his images reproduced as a selection of stone panels, all with visible seams of lead tracery holding the panels in place. Nature is a powerful subject matter in Hume’s work; his images of babies and images from nature also use natural materials to powerfully depict them. Occasionally in his career he has made sculpture, and he has exhibited worldwide as well as being part of many important private collections. Gary Hume is represented by White Cube.