Adam Cullen merges social satire with technicolour excess. An ‘enfant terrible’ of the art world, he launched onto the Australian art scene by chaining a pig’s head to his ankle for two weeks. This punk stunt was followed by a career spent painting tough, uncompromising and challenging subjects, captured with a pop art twist.

In this original painting Cullen paints a portrait in profile. The subject’s skin is neon green, gleaming against a purple background. Trading in themes from aggression to impotence, missing resolve and bad decisions, Cullen’s works can be extreme but they are always captivating, often imbued with an unexpected vulnerability.

In his lifetime, he was a winner and multi-time Archibald Prize finalist, honoured with a 2008 retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and an Art Hotel in Prahran, cementing him as one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists.

For collectors of significant contemporary art and portraits, ‘Brown Man’ is a prize.

Adam CULLEN (1965 - 2012)
'Brown Man' 2003
acrylic and enamel on canvas
Image Size: 91 x 61 cm
Signed: Signed
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Exhibited: Art is Pain Relief, Manly Art Gallery & Museum: 13 October - 10 December, 2023 

Literature: Art is Pain Relief, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Catalogue (hard back publication), p. 51
Condition: Very Good

(c) Adam Cullen / Copyright Agency