Simon English is perhaps best known for his large and small-scale 'painted drawings' in which he mingles his distinctive imagery and words. He moves lightly between tight draftsmanship and a playfully sloppy application of colour and line. Language is paramount with diaristic musings interspersed with song lyrics, poetry and humorous one-liners. Self-described as 'automatic', his work has the spontaneity of stream-of-consciousness, exploring themes of love and loss, as well as gay and popular culture.
Simon English lives and works in London. He emerged on the London Art scene in 1994 with an exhibition of paintings at the Saatchi Gallery as part of Young British Art III. Simon has exhibited internationally at numerous institutions including The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen, Denmark; Peer Gallery, London, Musee D'Art Contemporaine de Val de Marne (MAC VAL), Paris France; Tate Britain, London. In 2020 he had a three story solo show at Transpalette Centre D'Art Contemporain, in Bourges France, curated by guest curator Frank Lamy entitled "Your Top Is My Bottom." His work is included in the collections of Louisiana Museum of Modern art, Denmark; Falckenberg Collection, Germany; Arts Council of Great Britain, U.K; Saatchi Collection U.K; The Government Art Collection, U.K; The Tate Collection, U.K; The Burger Collection, Switzerland; British Museum, U.K; Tate Britain, U.K; The Rosenblum Collection, France; La Fab, La Collection Agnes B, France; The Albertina Museum, Austria; Volker Diel Collection, Germany.