The artist talks about how her work is inspired by nursery rhymes, novels and fairy-tales.
Paula Rego has been described as ‘the best painter of women’s experience alive today’. Born in Portugal she has spent much of her life living in London. She has exhibited internationally and nationally and in 1989 was nominated for the Turner prize and the following year became the first Associate Artist at the National Gallery. Well known as a narrative and figurative painter and for her images of the female form, her work has been inspired by novels, fairy tales and even nursery rhymes, often having a strong sense of magical realism and the grotesque. Now in her early seventies she continues to work six days a week.
In the next of our series on contemporary women artists, Felicity Finch meets Paula Rego in her studio in north London accompanied by artist and author Rebecca Fortnum.
Paula Rego's 'Graven Images' exhibition will be held at the Waterhall Gallery of Modern Art in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery from the 23rd June - 10th October 2007. A Retrospective of her work will be shown at The Marlborough Fine Art Gallery from 26 September until 31 December 2007.
'Contemporary British Women Artists in their own words' by Rebecca Fortnum is published by I.B. Tauris, ISBN: 978-1-84511-224-0.
