National Galleries of Scotland

Ken Currie (Scottish, born 1960)

Scottish artist Currie studied at the Glasgow School of Art. He used industrial Glasgow as the subject of his early work, with paintings that were linear in style and modelled in block-like forms. In the early 1990s, Currie was much affected by political and humanitarian events in Eastern Europe. He began to depict decaying and damaged bodies as a response to what he felt was the sickness of contemporary society. Although still as socially aware as in his earlier work, his style became less linear. From the mid-1990s, Currie's paintings became simpler. He focused on individuals instead of crowds and painted in haunting, luminous colours.