No Longer, Not Yet—Paintings on Paper: Jonathan Wateridge @ GRIMM, Amsterdam

Why It Matters

The exhibition underscores the growing market interest in process‑driven artworks, offering collectors rare insight into an artist’s developmental stages. It also positions GRIMM as a key platform for contemporary painters expanding into European audiences.

Key Takeaways

• Wateridge's first Amsterdam solo show at GRIMM.
• Focus on paintings on paper derived from erased canvas moments.
• Works evoke mid‑century LA settings with uncanny psychological tension.
• Title reflects liminal states between completed and future artworks.
• Exhibition runs until March 28, 2026, attracting international collectors.

Pulse Analysis

Jonathan Wateridge has built a reputation for translating the gestural intensity of large‑scale canvases into intimate paper studies. By preserving the “ghosts” of erased decisions, his paintings on paper reveal a rare glimpse into the iterative process that fuels contemporary figurative art. Collectors increasingly value such process‑oriented works, seeing them as both archival documentation and standalone pieces that can appreciate in secondary markets.

No Longer, Not Yet – Paintings on Paper situates these studies within a narrative framework reminiscent of mid‑century Los Angeles interiors, yet infused with an uncanny tension. Spectral figures poised in moments of disruption create psychological dioramas that challenge viewers to confront uncertainty and existential disquiet. This thematic blend of nostalgia and unease resonates with current curatorial trends that favor works questioning identity, temporality, and the boundaries between finished and unfinished art.

For GRIMM, hosting Wateridge’s first Amsterdam solo exhibition signals a strategic push to attract an international collector base attuned to innovative process work. The show’s run through late March aligns with the spring art fair calendar, offering potential buyers a timely opportunity to acquire pieces before major market events. As galleries worldwide seek to diversify programming, exhibitions like this underscore the commercial viability of artists who merge rigorous studio practice with compelling visual storytelling.