Paula Rego (born in Lisbon Portugal 1935) is one of the most important figurative painters working today & this new volume is the first ever to explore her working practice. When Paula took on her own studio in 1994 the increased space & freedom had a dramatic impact not only on her final works but also on her preparations models method & technique. Not only was the artist free to begin using a regular cast of live models but also she began to create the handmade models of wild & imaginary creatures that frequently appear in her work. The pieces are sometimes made by Paula but more often by her friends & family including her son-in-law the sculptor Ron Mueck. In addition to unseen views of the stage sets & models that Paula builds this new book contains many previously unpublished images of the artist at work her models & her preparatory drawings & studies which provide a fascinating behind-the-scenes view of some of her finest works. Since 1994 Rego has also achieved ever more increasing international respect reputation & influence. This new book will demonstrate her methods & techniques but will also maintain an accessible & anecdotal text as befits the artists dependence on stories. The book is not so much a technical manual but an investigation of how Rego arrives at a finished work. It will serve as a complement to the existing monograph offering readers the chance to deepen their knowledge of Regos art through the plots she devises & the collaborations she enters into with her favorite models the props she collects & the elaborate scenes that she erects. In so doing it will also show her affinity with younger artists who have in recent years achieved international success by adopting a figurative & story-based approach in a variety of art forms
- installation video photography sculpture & painting. Regos work is owned by many international institutions including among many others Tate Modern London; National Portrait Gallery London; Leeds City Art Gallery; Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Kansas City; New Hall Art Collection University of Cambridge; Saatchi Gallery London. Paula Rego was short listed for the Turner Prize in 1989.