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Paula Rego

1935 – 2022

The Guardian 2008
© Paula Rego
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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Rooms

29 artworks by Paula Rego
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In Tate Britain

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Biography

Dame Maria Paula Figueiroa Rego (Portuguese: [ˈpawlɐ ˈʁeɣu]: 26 January 1935 – 8 June 2022) was a Portuguese visual artist, widely considered the pre-eminent woman artist of the late 20th and early 21st century, known particularly for her paintings and prints based on storybooks. Rego's style evolved from abstract towards representational, and she favoured pastels over oils for much of her career. Her work often reflects feminism, coloured by folk-themes from her native Portugal.

Rego studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and was an exhibiting member of The London Group, along with David Hockney and Frank Auerbach. In 1989 she became the second artist-in-residence, after the scheme re-started, at the National Gallery in London, after Jock McFadyen, who was the first in 1981. She lived and worked in London.

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New spirit painting

Artworks

Left Right
  • Untitled I

    Paula Rego
    1999
    View by appointment
  • Untitled II

    Paula Rego
    1999
    View by appointment
  • Untitled III

    Paula Rego
    1999
    View by appointment
  • Untitled IV

    Paula Rego
    1999
    View by appointment
  • Untitled V

    Paula Rego
    1999
    View by appointment
  • Untitled VI

    Paula Rego
    1999
    View by appointment
  • Untitled VII

    Paula Rego
    1999
    View by appointment
  • Lessons

    Paula Rego
    1982
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See all 46

Film and audio

  • Podcast

    The Art of the Body

  • How To

    How to Draw Like Paula Rego

  • TateShots

    Paula Rego at the Curwen Studio

  • In the Gallery

    Zanele Muholi: Healing Through Sound

  • In the Gallery

    Capturing the Moment: Join the Conversation

Features

  • List

    Five Ways to Paint a Body

  • Look Closer

    The Story of Paula Rego's 'The Dance'

Sketches, letters, etc.

  • Letter from Paula Rego

    Paula Rego, recipient: Marie-Louise Von Motesiczky
    26 November 1985
    View by appointment

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