Image: Surface Veil II, ca. 1970. Oil and chalk on preprimed stretched linen canvas, 365.8 x 365.8 x 5.1cm, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Panza Collection, 91.3854. © 2026 Robert Ryman / DACS, London.
‘Robert Ryman: The Real Thing’, a retrospective of works by the American artist Robert Ryman, will open at the Barbican Centre in London on 8 October 2026.
The exhibition runs through 28 February 2027. Tickets are now on sale.
Its title echoes Ryman’s statement: “You have to see the real thing… seeing a real painting is the only way to do it.” The presentation brings together Ryman’s paintings, which invite viewers to take a closer look.
A photograph accompanying the exhibition listing shows Ryman in his studio around 1972. The image was taken by Timm Rautert and is credited to the Archive Timm Rautert, Museum Folkwang, Essen, and DACS, London.
