James McQueen A Beautiful Waste of Time

James McQueen’s A Beautiful Waste of Time (2026) expands upon the narrative of his previous sold-out catalogue from the solo exhibition, If You Ever Leave Me I’m Coming with You (2023), marking a bold evolution in both the artist’s scale and ambition. Offering an immersive insight into McQueen’s evolving practice through signature titles, new artworks, and photographs of the artist’s studio, this illustrated book captures an artist embracing complexity, humour and vulnerability with renewed confidence and ambition.

Spanning more than 440 pages and featuring over 130 of McQueen’s new artworks, the book reflects a body of work that pushes beyond the familiar framework of vintage book covers into richer, more layered territory.

Many of McQueen’s signature phrases sit here alongside new declarations that humorously incorporate themes of love, hope, vulnerability and defiance. While previous works sought to examine these universal themes, in A Beautiful Waste of Time we find deepened conversations within his recognisable graphic language. Colour is highly assertive and the surfaces of these paintings are more tactile and textured than ever.

With influences ranging from Pop, street and contemporary artists, McQueen’s increasingly direct engagement with art history is evident –absorbed into his visual vocabulary, this results in works of art that push the boundaries of what is possible in visual art. Conceptually, language remains central to McQueen’s works, but his phrases now sit within deeper textures, created through sanding, layering and erasure to give each work a near sculptural presence.