Oliver Osborne, They come, they wake us (the sleeping guard), 2025. Image courtesy of Oliver Osborne
THE SLEEPING GUARD
ICA Milano
From September 27 - November 8, 2025
Opening: Friday 26
Curated by Alberto Salvadori
Navigating between figuration and abstraction, Oliver Osborne (Scotland, 1985) presents an exhibition that spans the last ten years of his artistic practice. Inspired by the study of art history, Osborne investigates the conceptual possibilities of painting over time, ranging from figures drawn from portraiture traditions to members of his own family. The works in The Sleeping Guard reference a diverse array of sources—from the fresco The Liberation of St. Peter by Filippino Lippi (ca. 1481) in the Brancacci Chapel in Florence to Albrecht Fuchs' photographic portrait of Michel Majerus (1996)—and include Osborne's own children as subjects and protagonists of his research. Moving through history and the personal realm, Osborne questions how painting can persist in the 21st century, a time in which the digital world has radically altered the temporal and spatial conditions that define artistic practice.
The artist's monograph Recent Painting will be released by DISTANZ in October 2025 and will be officially presented in November at Fondazione ICA Milano.
ICA Milano thanks Banca Intesa Sanpaolo, official sponsor of the Foundation and Valsoia for supporting ICA Milano's program and activities.
The exhibitions Oliver Osborne. The Sleeping Guard is made possible with the support of Eni as Main Partner.
Special thanks to GIÓ MARCONI, Milan for supporting Oliver Osborne. The Sleeping Guard.
OLIVER OSBORNE
Oliver Osborne (b. 1985, Edinburgh) lives and works in Berlin. His painting practice merges figuration and abstraction, investigating the repetition, variation, and transformation of images over time. Using a wide range of techniques—from silkscreen to hyperrealistic oil painting—Osborne explores painting's narrative and conceptual potential, often drawing from art history and autobiographical elements. His work has been exhibited in numerous international galleries and institutions including Tanya Leighton (Berlin, Los Angeles), Union Pacific (London), Gió Marconi (Milan), Bonner Kunstverein (Bonn), Francis Irv (New York), Galeria Pelaires (Palma), ICA (London), and Hamburger Kunsthalle (Hamburg). His works are held in major public collections such as the Aishti Foundation (Beirut), Braunsfelder Family Collection (Cologne), Haubrok Foundation (Berlin), Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo (Turin), and the Saatchi Collection (London).
More info on ICA Milano's website
Exhibition views from The Sleeping Guard by Oliver Osborne at ICA Milano, Milan. Courtesy of ICA Milano and the artist. Image by Andrea Rosetti Archive.
