This story was updated at 07:30 a.m. ET on Monday, November 4, with information from police, and at 07:40 a.m. ET on Tuesday, November 5, with information from the gallery.
Artist Sarah Cunningham has died, aged 31. Her death was confirmed this morning by Lisson Gallery, which represents Cunningham.
“Sarah was an incredibly talented, intelligent and original artist who we all called a friend. Her paintings are authentic, intuitive and pure with the raw power to immediately foster connections with others—qualities reflected in Sarah’s own indomitable character,” the gallery wrote in a post on Instagram.
Police had appealed for sightings or information about Cunningham, 31, who was reported missing after she was last seen at around 3:00 a.m. GMT on Saturday, November 2, on Jamestown Road in Camden.
Midday on Sunday, Lisson Gallery released a statement saying that the artist had been missing since early Saturday. She “was last seen at 2.30 a.m. on November 2 on Jamestown Road in Camden, London,” the gallery’s post on Instagram read. “She is 5’3” and was wearing a black top, black skirt, and black Converse trainers.”
A representative of the gallery said that they were in touch with Cunningham’s family and police and asked anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact the gallery or the authorities. Lisson said in an emailed statement that the gallery was notified on Saturday afternoon that she was missing.
At around 1:00 a.m. GMT on Monday, November 4, emergency services were called to reports of a casualty on the tracks at Chalk Farm Underground Station in the London borough of Camden, according to Metropolitan Police. “While we await formal identification, Sarah’s family have been informed of this development,” the police said in an emailed statement. “They have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time.”
The death is being treated as unexpected but at this time it is not thought to be suspicious.
Cunningham was known for her brushy, frenetic landscapes that nearly spill over into pure abstraction. Born in Nottingham, England, and educated at the Royal Academy of Art in London, she has had two solo shows with Lisson—one at its Los Angeles branch this summer, the other in the British capital in 2023, the year she joined the gallery. Her work is held in the Sprengel Family Collection in Germany and the Al Thani Collection in Qatar. Tributes to the artist are being shared on social media.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Sarah’s family, friends and loved ones,” Lisson Gallery wrote on Instagram, adding, “We ask that everyone respect their privacy and allow them to mourn and celebrate her life, which she left behind far too soon.”