Knop's paintings range from intimate interiors to expansive landscapes. Each work begins with an image from his personal archive, whether a personal photograph or a fragment of art history, which he translates into a larger composition. He works on several canvases at once, producing groups of paintings that share palettes and atmospheres. Referencing artists from Nicolas Poussin and Caspar David Friedrich to Pierre Bonnard, as well as contemporary photography, Knop extends the tradition of European landscape painting. Figures and architecture recur throughout his work, from residences with alpine views to cabins and hotels set against mountain backdrops. His paintings combine wit with an undercurrent of menace, embedding fragments of unresolved narratives that suggest something might soon go awry.
Pierre Knop (b. 1982, Nancy, France) lives and works in Cologne.
Knop studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 2008 to 2013, graduating under Katharina Grosse. Selected solo exhibitions include Pilar Corrias, London (2025); Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen (2024, 2022); Yossi Milo, New York (2023, 2021); Choi & Lager Gallery, Seoul (2020) and Cologne (2019); and Annarumma Gallery, Naples (2018). Selected group exhibitions include Pilar Corrias, London (2026); Waddington Custot, Paris (2026); Museum MORE, Netherlands (2024); and Meyer Riegger, Berlin (2023).