The Kinks' Ray and Dave Davies Unveil a Summer Art Show in London

More than 60 years after they started making noise in their parents' North London living room, Ray and Dave Davies are back together — this time with paint rather than guitars.

The Kinks: Brothers opens at the Gibson Garage London on 24 July and runs until 6 September 2026. It's a collaboration between the two brothers and painter Christian Furr, and it turns one small, ordinary moment into something worth queuing for.

A photobooth in East Finchley, 1968

The show grows out of a single image: a passport photobooth strip of Ray and Dave crammed in together, taken in East Finchley in 1968. Furr has reimagined that snapshot as a series of new, original paintings — bright, punchy and full of colour.

Dave Davies remembers the day the photo was taken as “a magic moment,” and both brothers have been closely involved. When Dave first saw the finished paintings he was moved to tears, then promptly picked up a brush and started working on them himself. Ray, for his part, says seeing the paintings and the original photobooth picture again “brings back a lot of memories.”

There's real history behind the brushwork, too. Ray studied painting at Hornsey College of Art before The Kinks took off, and Dave has painted for years, so visual art has been part of their creative life from the start.

The artist

Christian Furr first made his name as the youngest artist ever commissioned to paint the late Queen Elizabeth II, and has since shown work at the National Portrait Gallery and the Saatchi Gallery. His approach to this series was unashamedly vivid — he cites Matisse, punk and pop art as touchstones, chasing the brightest colour he could to match how The Kinks sound to him.

A treasure hunt for fans

To mark the opening, Gibson and RedHouse Originals are dropping free limited-edition prints at three secret London locations tied to the band's history — so it's worth keeping an eye on Gibson's channels in the run-up.

Every painting in the show is signed by Ray, Dave and Christian Furr. On opening day, 24 July, a small number of signed limited-edition prints will also carry Dave Davies' and Furr's signatures, handed out to fans on a first-come, first-served basis.

Why it matters

This is The Kinks story stripped back to where it began — two brothers from Muswell Hill, the front room at 6 Denmark Terrace where You Really Got Me was born, and the run of hits that followed: Waterloo Sunset, Sunny Afternoon, Dead End Street, Lola. Ranked by Rolling Stone among the 100 greatest artists of all time and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, the band shaped everyone from The Jam and The Clash to Blur and Oasis — Ray's songwriting earned him the nickname “the Godfather of Britpop.”

Fittingly, it's all happening at the Gibson Garage London, the guitar brand's first store outside the US, whose instruments helped build the Kinks sound in the first place.

The details

  • What: The Kinks: Brothers — Christian Furr in collaboration with Ray and Dave Davies
  • Where: Gibson Garage London, 61–62 Eastcastle Street, London, W1W 8NQ
  • When: 24 July – 6 September 2026
  • Opening hours: Mon–Fri 11am–7pm · Sat 10am–7pm · Sun 12–6pm
  • Prices: Signed paintings and limited-edition prints available from RedHouse Originals; prints start at £195
  • Admission: Free to visit