The Connor Brothers – We Are All in the Gutter

The Connor Brothers' We Are All in the Gutter (2021) is a signed digital archival inkjet print with a screenprinted varnish overlay, measuring 75 × 50 cm. The limited edition print features a distressed, vintage-style book cover image of a reclining female figure, overlaid with the quote: "We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars."

Drawing on mid-20th-century pulp fiction aesthetics, The Connor Brothers juxtapose nostalgic imagery with literary text to create a layered contemporary artwork that oscillates between melancholy and hope. The worn, faux-aged surface enhances the sense of narrative history, while the bold typography reframes the image as a meditation on aspiration, disillusionment, and resilience.

Published in 2021 in a limited edition of 75 prints, We Are All in the Gutter is hand-signed and numbered by the artists. As with many of The Connor Brothers' paintings and fine art prints, this work combines cinematic nostalgia with sharp conceptual framing, making it a highly collectible example of contemporary printmaking.

The Connor Brothers are the artistic duo of British painters Mike Snelle and James Golding, who emerged in 2012 with a constructed origin story that blurred fiction and reality. By initially presenting themselves as American twins raised in a cult, they foregrounded themes of authorship, narrative, and belief, elements that continue to underpin their artworks and limited edition prints.

Working in a style that merges vintage pulp imagery with sharp contemporary text, The Connor Brothers draw on old book covers, film posters, and pin-up aesthetics. Their paintings and prints juxtapose nostalgic visuals with ironic, melancholic, or provocative statements, addressing themes such as love, addiction, mental health, identity, and the contradictions of modern life. This interplay between image and language has become central to their visual language.

Alongside their original paintings, The Connor Brothers produce highly sought-after fine art prints and art editions, extending their practice into collectible formats. These signed and numbered prints retain the immediacy and wit of their larger artworks while making their work accessible to a broader audience. Today, their artworks and prints are held in international private and public collections, confirming their position within the contemporary art market.