The Kinks are reuniting for a new art exhibition in London, celebrating a rarely seen moment in the band's history
All taking place on a Sunny Afternoon we hope
Rock band The Kinks are the quartet that launched a thousand ending credits in great noughties films. From hits like You Really Got Me to Sunny Afternoon, their lyrics have been chanted, wheezed, sung, and bopped along to for decades. Now, over twenty years after they disbanded, the two leading brothers are reuniting for a new art exhibition in London.
60 years on from forming The Kinks, Ray and Dave Davies' reunion comes in collaboration with painter Christian Furr at Gibson Garage in London. The exhibition is called Brothers, and Christian Furr has created a series of new original paintings, all based on a reimagining of a passport photograph of the brothers together, which was taken in 1968.
Running from 24th July until 6th September, the exhibition’s home will rather suitably be at the Gibson Garage, the flagship UK home of the same iconic guitar brand whose instruments formed a key part of the Kinks’ signature sound.
Artist Christian Furr is probably best known for being the youngest artist ever commissioned to paint the late Queen Elizabeth II and has exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery and the Saatchi Gallery, to name a few. Moving from monarchical royalty to musical royalty, Furr said he drew inspiration from “Matisse, punk, pop art, luminosity, and keeping that colour as bright as possible” and added that for him “that is what I see when I listen to The Kinks.”
If you were wondering how powerful the portraits are, Dave Davies was “moved to tears” when he saw the works for the first time, “and immediately began painting on them himself”.
“It was a magic moment when we crammed into the photobooth all those years ago,” Dave reminisced. “Christian Furr has done a wonderful job in developing the image into special artworks,” he added.
Ray Davies spoke about the collection saying, “It’s great to be doing something new with Dave, and seeing these paintings and the original passport photo booth picture again brings back a lot of memories.” Talking about the creativity and the Kinks’ legacy, he reflected that “Over the years it’s been amazing to see creative people take our music and make something of their own”, which is exactly what Furr has done.
Hailed as one of the 100 greatest artists of all time by Rolling Stone, The Kinks became vital influences for Blondie, The Jam, The Ramones, The Clash, Black Sabbath, The Doors, The Pretenders, and Van Halen. The Who’s Pete Townsend once said: “The Kinks invented a new kind of language for pop songwriting that influenced me from the very beginning.”Ray’s songwriting was so influential to Blur and Oasis that he earned the nickname “the Godfather of Britpop." The Kinks were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
To celebrate the exhibition, Gibson and RedHouse Originals are dropping free limited-edition prints in three secret London locations linked to the band’s history. While all paintings are signed by Ray, Dave, and Christian, a small number of signed, limited-edition prints will also be signed by Dave Davies and Christian Furr and available to fans on a first come first serve basis at the exhibition opening on 24 July.
Every painting in the exhibition will be signed by Ray and Dave Davies and Christian Furr. The paintings and a collection of limited-edition prints will be available to buy from Red House Originals, with limited edition prints starting at £195
The Kinks: Brothers is at Gibson Garage, London, from 24 July–6 September 2026. Open Monday-Friday 11am-7pm, Saturday 10am-7pm, Sunday 12-6pm.
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