This October, Woodbury House is proud to present “OUTSIDE IS AMERICA” by Lee Quiñones — the artist’s first solo exhibition in London in forty years. Opening in Mayfair, the exhibition represents not only a major cultural event but also a historic homecoming for one of the most important figures in contemporary art.

Lee Quiñones is widely regarded as the most influential artist to emerge from New York City’s subway art movement. Rising to prominence in the mid-1970s as a teenager, he quickly became legendary for painting entire subway cars — rolling canvases that transformed the city into a moving museum. These works were not fleeting acts of vandalism but monumental artistic statements that shifted how the world would come to understand graffiti, public space, and art itself.

By the age of twenty, Quiñones was already recognised as a pioneer, his work celebrated for its scale, precision, and conceptual depth. What began in the shadows of train yards soon reshaped the trajectory of contemporary art, opening doors for a generation of street artists to step into galleries and museums worldwide.

Over more than fifty years, Quiñones has evolved into an internationally acclaimed painter whose practice bridges street culture and fine art. His canvases, drawings, and prints preserve the urgency of his early work while exploring new dimensions of mark-making, abstraction, and storytelling.

Today, his works are held in some of the world’s most prestigious collections, including MoMA in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Brooklyn Museum. Each stage of his career demonstrates his ability to reinvent his language without losing the raw intensity that first defined him.

The exhibition “OUTSIDE IS AMERICA” will unite original paintings created for this moment with rare early drawings and prints that together chart the full scope of Quiñones’ career. It is a journey from the subway tunnels of the 1970s to the studio works of 2025, offering an unprecedented view of an artist whose vision has continually shaped the cultural landscape.

For London, the exhibition is more than just a show. It marks the long-awaited return of Lee Quiñones to the city, four decades after his last solo presentation here. For collectors and audiences alike, it is an opportunity to witness firsthand the evolution of a living legend.

What distinguishes Quiñones is not only his technical mastery but also the voice that runs through his work. His paintings carry the energy of rebellion, the urgency of youth, and the perspective of someone who has seen hip hop grow from underground movement to global phenomenon. Yet his art remains personal, poetic, and uncompromising, always rooted in the experiences that shaped him on the streets of New York.

As the title “OUTSIDE IS AMERICA” suggests, the exhibition explores themes of identity, belonging, and the cultural tensions of the last fifty years. Quiñones continues to use his work as both mirror and commentary — reflecting history, but also challenging the present.

“OUTSIDE IS AMERICA” by Lee Quiñones
16th October – 28th November, 2025
Woodbury House, 29 Sackville Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 3DX. 

We invite you to register your interest today to ensure you are among the first to receive full details of the exhibition, to enquire about available works, and to gain access to exclusive content, including a special conversation with Lee himself.

https://woodburyhouseart.com/lee-quinones-register-interest/

This is not just an exhibition. It is a landmark cultural moment — the return of a visionary artist whose influence can still be felt across every corner of contemporary art.