The Dance of Death 2025 by Archie Proudfoot – 67 York Street

About

This Halloween, celebrated London artist Archie Proudfoot brings a bold new vision to life with The Dance of Death 2025 — a darkly humorous reimagining of Hans Holbein’s iconic Renaissance series.

Holbein’s original Dance of Death served as both a memento mori and a biting social satire, reminding its viewers that mortality spares no one — not even the powerful. In Proudfoot’s contemporary revival, that spirit of mischief and critique lives on. Gone are Holbein’s knights and nobles; in their place stand modern archetypes. The Landlord is skewered by a “For Sale” sign, The Homeless man finds Death at the cashpoint, and The Influencer sees their perfect mirror selfie turned to dust.

Each work in the series captures Proudfoot’s signature blend of wit, craft, and cultural observation, holding a mirror to the absurdities of 21st-century life. The exhibition also introduces Death FC, a tongue-in-cheek football team skewering the commercialism of modern sport — complete with official home and away kits available for purchase.

Running from 30th October to 2nd November, The Dance of Death 2025 transforms mortality into a vivid spectacle, not an end, but a riotous renewal.

Find out more, here.