Hugh Mendes | The Departed | Solo Exhibition | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, Soho, London

CHARLIE SMITH LONDON is pleased to announce ‘The Departed’, a solo exhibition of British artist Hugh Mendes at Gramercy Park Studios in Soho, London. Mendes will open the following week at Pallant House Gallery in ‘Seeing Each Other: Portraits of Artists’, including Lucian Freud, Lubaina Himid, David Hockney, Lee Miller, and Paula Rego.

Hugh Mendes’s work has long been defined by his innovative approach to blending the fields of mass media and the art historical. Shortly after graduating from City and Guilds of London Art School with an MA in 2001, Mendes became captivated by the obituaries published in The Independent newspaper, particularly those that featured striking and unconventional images. His correspondence with the obituary editor, James Fergusson, sparked a creative journey that would lead Mendes to introduce his first obituary paintings. Focusing on notable figures whose lives resonated with him—especially celebrities and artists—he began creating portraits based on the newspaper images.

Mendes’s obituary paintings have become a central theme in his practice, evolving over time to incorporate more complex reflections on death, identity, and artistic legacy. In recent years, he has expanded his focus to include the obituaries of fellow artists by reinterpreting their self-portraits. By referencing historical and contemporary artists such as Georgio de Chirico and Leigh Bowery, Mendes continues his exploration of how artists depict themselves, and how these portrayals intersect with the passage of time and the eventual departure of their creators.

"My work has evolved into what feels like a long-term collaboration with my artistic heroes," Mendes states. "Through studying how they saw themselves and the ways they chose to represent their identities, I’ve developed a deeper understanding of the connection between life, death, and the ongoing conversation of artistic expression."

Executed in oil on linen, Mendes’s paintings are rendered in a trompe l’oeil style, closely replicating the format of the newspaper obituaries. This careful replication removes the works from the mass media context, elevating it into the realm of art history that draws on the rich tradition of still life painting, particularly the 17th-century Dutch vanitas and memento mori genres. Through this transformation, Mendes invites the viewer to reflect not only on the individuals depicted but also on the fleeting nature of fame and the enduring legacy of creativity.

In ‘The Departed’, Mendes reintroduces obituary paintings of well-known figures like Marianne Faithfull and Gene Hackman—individuals celebrated for their contributions to music and film, but not typically recognized as artists. By choosing to depict these figures, Mendes explores the way we remember and memorialize celebrities from various fields, highlighting their cultural significance after their deaths. These works invite viewers to reflect on how the legacies of people who shape popular culture are often preserved and celebrated, paralleling those of individuals traditionally regarded as "artists”. Through this approach, Mendes blurs the lines between different forms of fame, offering a meditation on how all public figures, regardless of their medium, leave lasting impressions on the collective memory.

The event will take place at Gramercy Park Studios, 25 Great Pulteney Street, Soho, London W1F 9ND. Available to view Monday-Friday 10am-5pm. For artwork list or further information contact direct@charliesmithlondon.com. Follow @CHARLIESMITHIdn



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Category: Arts | Visual Arts | Galleries / Art

Artist: Hugh Mendes