art
April 16, 2026
Paula Rego review
Victoria Miro, London Mischievous, moving and troubled tales of female oppression unspool across the largest ever exhibition of the artist’s drawings, which show an intuitive touch her paintings lack
TL;DR
- The exhibition features the largest collection of Paula Rego's drawings, from the 1950s to 2022.
- Curated by her son, Nick Willing, the show includes works in pencil, pastel, pen, and ink.
- The drawings depict real and imagined subjects, often touching on themes of fear, inspiration, and female oppression.
- Rego's art frequently responded to political events, such as the failed 1998 referendum on abortion in Portugal.
- The exhibition highlights Rego's critique of the Salazar dictatorship and her lifelong advocacy against the repression of women.
- Works reference biblical figures, literary characters like Jane Eyre, and thinkers like Germaine Greer.
- Rego conveyed emotion through subtle gestures, such as bent eyebrows or curled fingers, even in disturbing pieces.
- Studies for paintings made during her husband Victor Willing's illness and death are included.
- Rego often worked on the floor, and her drawings show evidence of her process, including fingerprints and footprints.
- A self-portrait from 2017 shows the artist in her 80s, still focused on her work.
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