Philip Colbert

Born in Scotland and living and working in London. Colbert is often referred to as the “godson of Andy Warhol”. Colbert has created a global following for his cartoon lobster persona and his masterful hyper pop history paintings. His work powerfully explores the patterns of contemporary digital culture and

its relationship to a deeper art historical dialogue.

“I became an artist when I became a Lobster” says Colbert.

Graduating with an MA in Philosophy from St.Andrews University, Colbert’s work has received international acclaim in museums and galleries worldwide for his energetic new approach to painting and pop theory. 

Colbert’s paintings cross high art themes from old master paintings and contemporary art theory with everyday symbols of mass contemporary culture, all narrated through the eyes of Colbert’s cartoon

Lobster alter ego. He has been championed as a contemporary pop master by art world figures such Colbert's paintings follow from a dialogue established by pop painters Richard Hamilton, James Rosenquist and Roy Litchenstein. Colbert's works involve appropriation. Colbert refers to his alter ego as "a cartoon contemporary protagonist of surrealism". Colbert's paintings bring together old master influences from Rubens to Van Dyck and his obsession with everyday consumer imagery and the saturation of digital media.

Colbert's sculptural work includes wearable artworks, such as the "Urinal Dress, Meat Dress & Washing Machine Dress ".

In September 2015 Colbert designed range of clothing as merchandise for The World Goes Pop exhibition Tate Modern. Colbert had his first large scale paintings show at Saatchi Gallery.

In 2017, the show featured Colbert's large scale pop narrative paintings featuring his Lobster Alter ego.

"We live in a world of ultra pop saturation, a sort of mega pop world where mass intake of Instagram and social media imagery merges with artistic memory," says Colbert. In 2018 Colbert launched the Popcorn Group to produce feature films and theatre.

 

 

Solo Exhibitions 

​

2023 Lobsteropolis, Pearl Lam Galleries at M5 Gallery, Tokyo
2023 Philip Colbert Singapore Art Week, Saatchi Gallery, Singapore
2022 Journey to the Lobster Planet, Karuizawa New Art Museum, Karuizawa
2022 Dreams of Lobsteropolis, Pearl Lam Galleries, Shanghai
2022 The Lobster Empire in Rome, Museo di San Salvatore in Lauro, Rome 
2022 The Lobster Empire in Rome, Via Veneto, Rome
2022 Lobster Wonderland, IFS, Changsha
2022 Dream of the Lobster Planet, The Page Gallery, Seoul
2022 Lobstars in Venice, Venice Venice Hotel, Venice
2021 Lobsteropolis in Taipei, Whitestone Gallery, Taipei
2021 Lobsteropolis in Sejong City, Mark One Art Museum, Sejong City
2021 Lobsteropolis in Chongqing, Chongqing Times Art Museum, Chongqing
2021 Lobsteropolis in Seoul, Sejong Museum of Art, Seoul
2021 The Death of Marat & the Birth of The Lobster, Wardlaw Museum,

St Andrews 
2020 Lobsteropolis, Saatchi Gallery, London
2020 Lobster Land in Shanghai, Modern Art Museum, Shanghai
2020 Lobster Land in Taipei, Whitestone Gallery, Taipei
2020 Lobster Land in Gstaad, Patricia Low Contemporary, Gstaad
2020 Lobster Land in Sofia, Structura Gallery, Sofia
2019 Lobster Land in Moscow, Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow
2019 Made in Illusion, Times Art Museum, Beijing
2019 Lobster Land in Seoul, Gallery Simon, Seoul
2019 Lobster Land in Hong Kong, Whitestone Gallery, Hong Kong
2019 Hunt Paintings, Saatchi Gallery, Los Angeles
2019 Hunt Paintings, Saatchi Gallery, London
2018 New Paintings 2018, Galerie Nichido, Tokyo