Nigel Cooke (b. 1973, Manchester, United Kingdom) is a British painter whose work explores and expands the possibilities of figurative painting. His practice focuses on the space between abstraction and representation, leading to a body of work that has gradually evolved towards a more structured and condensed visual language.
Cooke studied at Goldsmiths College and the Royal College of Art in London and holds a PhD. His doctoral research explored non-linear systems and was shaped by thinkers such as Georges Bataille and Michel Serres. These ideas continue to inform his work, particularly in the construction of visual systems that connect natural, anatomical, and conceptual forms.
His paintings draw on fields including palaeontology, neuroscience, mythology, and zoology. In recent works, fine linear marks generate multiple layers of meaning simultaneously, suggesting anatomy, networks, and landscapes. This approach collapses distinctions between categories such as human and animal, or body and environment, creating dynamic spaces in which forms remain fluid and interconnected.
Cooke often develops his paintings from sketches made on site in different locations. These observations become a vocabulary of forms that he revisits and transforms over time. His technique combines staining on raw linen with successive layers of paint, balancing atmospheric depth with a pronounced awareness of surface. Traces of revision remain visible throughout the work, with loose, expressive passages set against more controlled and intricate areas.
Recent solo exhibitions include Bad Habits at Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice, Italy (2026); Pace Gallery, Seoul, South Korea (2025); Pace Gallery, New York, USA (2023); Pace Gallery, London, United Kingdom (2022); and Pace Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland (2020). His paintings are held in major public collections including The Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA); Tate (London, United Kingdom); the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York, USA); the Hammer Museum (Los Angeles, USA); Astrup Fearnley Museet (Oslo, Norway); and the Milwaukee Art Museum (Milwaukee, USA).