The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum present ‘Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature’, an exhibition showcasing the internationally renowned Portuguese-British artist Paula Rego’s remarkable printmaking practice, taking a deep look into the literary influences that have inspired the artist's works.
One of the great printmakers and storytellers of our time, Paula Rego drew inspiration from a vast range of sources - from traditional folklore and fairy tales to literary classics and nursery rhymes. ‘Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature’ presents three of the artist’s most ambitious and profound series of works in printmaking: ‘Nursery Rhymes’, ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘Jane Eyre’, made across a decade of the artist’s life.
Each series is accompanied by a variety of personal items from the artist, many of which have never been publicly displayed before. Unseen preparatory sketches, etching plates and Rego’s very own childhood copy of ‘Peter Pan’ offer audiences an intimate portrayal of the artist's lifelong fascination with literature and insight into how the artist transformed this material into startlingly original and unexpected pictures.
From menacing oversized creatures etched into life from children’s nursery rhymes such as ‘Little Miss Muffet’ and ‘Three Blind Mice’, to the almost hallucinatory depictions of Neverland from ‘Peter Pan’ and the tumultuous relationships based on power read about in ‘Jane Eyre’, Rego's work tells stories that combine fantasy and imagination, innocence and cruelty, in order to explore the complexities of life and the experience of women in particular, in all its strangeness and mystery. ‘Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature’ aims to spark new ways of seeing the world from audiences in relation to these seemingly familiar, age-old stories.
Layla Gatens, Senior Curator at The Wilson, says: “Rego is one of the most important British artists of the 20th century and a feminist icon whose revolutionary approach to image making has had a lasting impact.
“Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature celebrates the artist’s dream-like responses to classic literary works, folklore and mythical tales, materialised in her distinctive visual language to encourage a different way of seeing. We are excited to be able to share the work of this extraordinary artist with audiences in Cheltenham and Gloucester.”
Brian Cass, Head of Hayward Gallery Touring, says: “Throughout her life, Paula Rego used print-making as a central tool of her art.
“Taking inspiration from literature, she connected with stories in very personal ways, using them to articulate the conditions of her own life and draw her desires, dreams, fears, and traumas into sequences of remarkable pictures. Hayward Gallery Touring had the honour of working with Paula Rego on a small travelling show in the 1990s.
“We are absolutely delighted to continue this relationship 35 years later, and by collaborating with a range of exhibition patterns, celebrate her unique art and vision with audiences across the UK.” Paula Rego’s Estate says: “Life with Paula was filled with stories, humour and mischief and she always seemed to have her own, surprising twist on the books she read.
“She often said that she had the most fun making the prints for these series because the stories were already laid out for her, but there’s no question that she made them her own.” The free exhibition will be accompanied by a public programme of events, a Learning programme for secondary schools in Cheltenham and Community engagement programme.
‘Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature’ is a Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition. It has been developed with the support of Paula Rego’s Estate.
