Table of Contents
- What Is the ‘House of Music’ Exhibition?
- How Music Shapes Peter Doig’s Paintings
- An Immersive Gallery Experience Unlike Any Other
- Doig’s Musical Influences: From Country to Calypso
- Visitor Reactions and Critical Acclaim
- Plan Your Visit to Serpentine Galleries
- Sources
What Is the ‘House of Music’ Exhibition?
Step into Peter Doig’s world at London’s Serpentine Galleries, where art doesn’t just hang silently on the wall—it sings. The new exhibition, titled House of Music, is the first to explicitly explore how sound and song have shaped the Scottish-born painter’s iconic visual language. Running through February 8, 2026, the show invites visitors not only to look but to listen, transforming the gallery into a multisensory sanctuary where brushstrokes meet basslines.
How Music Shapes Peter Doig’s Paintings
Peter Doig has long painted with music playing in his studio—sometimes country, sometimes reggae, often calypso. For decades, these soundtracks have subtly infused his dreamlike landscapes, portraits, and urban scenes with rhythm, mood, and memory. Now, for the first time, the public can experience his work the way he creates it: accompanied by the very songs that inspired it.
“If you believe looking at paintings is a three-dimensional experience… if you like it L-O-U-D, then this show is for you,” writes The New York Times in its review of the exhibition.
The House of Music concept isn’t just metaphorical. Doig has curated a continuous soundtrack drawn from his personal collection of over 300 vinyl records. From Bob Dylan to Mighty Sparrow, the playlist evolves as you move through the gallery, syncing emotionally with each painting’s atmosphere.
An Immersive Gallery Experience Unlike Any Other
Visitors enter a sparse, contemplative space punctuated by large wooden speakers—custom-built for the show—that project rich, analog-quality sound. Chairs are scattered throughout, encouraging guests to sit, absorb, and let the music and imagery wash over them.
Every Sunday, the exhibition features “guest DJs”: artists, musicians, and collaborators invited by Doig to share their own influential tracks. These live sessions deepen the dialogue between sound and vision, turning the gallery into a living concert hall of creative cross-pollination.
Doig’s Musical Influences: From Country to Calypso
Though Doig is known for his vivid depictions of snowy Canadian forests and Trinidadian canals, his sonic palette is equally diverse. Currently, he’s deep into country music—think Emmylou Harris and Townes Van Zandt—but his time in Trinidad immersed him in soca and steelpan rhythms, which echo in the fluidity and warmth of his Caribbean-themed works.
This blend of Northern melancholy and tropical vibrancy is what makes Doig’s art so emotionally resonant—and why pairing it with music feels so natural. As Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky once wrote in 1911: “Lend your ears to music, open your eyes to painting, and … stop thinking!” Doig seems to have taken that advice to heart.
Visitor Reactions and Critical Acclaim
Early visitors describe the exhibition as “haunting,” “transportive,” and “a revelation.” One London art student told reporters, “I’ve seen Doig’s paintings before, but never felt them like this. The music adds a heartbeat to the canvas.”
Critics agree. The show is being hailed as a bold reimagining of how we engage with visual art in an age of digital overload—offering instead a slow, analog, deeply human experience.
Plan Your Visit to Serpentine Galleries
Exhibition: Peter Doig: House of Music
Location: Serpentine Galleries, Kensington Gardens, London
Dates: Through February 8, 2026
Admission: Free (timed entry recommended)
Special Events: Sunday guest DJ sessions at 3 PM
