Paula Rego

Paula Rego's early paintings in Portugal were semi-abstract, sometimes applied to violent or political subjects that revealed a love of story-telling that had been awakened in her as a child by folk-tales related by a great-aunt. As Rego’s oevre developed she turned to a more naturalistic approach with strongly modelled figures and a consistent light source. Working from literature, myths, fairy tales, cartoons and religious texts, Rego creates narrative works imbued with mystery. She is drawn to subjects that are well known, and takes her imagery from sources as varied as Peter Pan and Mary Magdalene. For Rumpelstiltskin, Rego asked Nicolas Serota, Director of Tate, to name his favourite fairy tale. Rego favours the almost immediate results etching and lithography can provide, allowing an exuberance and confidence of line. Her prints typically combine etched outlines with tonal gradations of Aquatint. 

Rego has held a number of solo shows at the Saatchi Gallery in London and retrospectives at the Tate Liverpool, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Tate Britain, and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. A major retrospective was held at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid which was later exhibited at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C. the following year. Rego’s work is part of many public collections including the British Museum in London, The Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal, National Gallery in London, and Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, UK. 

Courtesy of Tate