Paula Rego: Balzac and other stories @ Marlborough – London

Iberian folklore has a lot to do with the mix of religious and pagan symbolism, something Paula Rego knows a lot about and has extensively exploited in all her works throughout her 5-decade-long career. Starting next Tuesday the very British but also Iberian Miss Rego will see her second London house (Marlborough gallery) welcome  her dark & truculent stories for a new exhibition.

 “Balzac & other stories” coincides with the publication of the revised and updated Catalogue Raisonné by Tom Rosenthal  of Thames & Hudson. The sumptuously produced Catalogue Raisonné discusses and illustrates all Rego’s prints, including unpublished work. The second edition includes chapters on five new series produced since 2003 – Moon Eggs, Prince Pig, Wine, Curved Planks and Female Genital Mutilation.

Presenting her new works, Rego uses one of Honoré de Balzac’s most celebrated tales, The Unknown Masterpiece as an inspiration… the the story of a painter who, depending on one’s perspective, is either an abject failure or a transcendental genius – or both. A story which previously helped many other artists such as Cézanne, Henry James, Picasso, and Paula Rego.

Again, Rego will bring subjects like sexuality or feminism and their sinister side revealing some of the most powerful images that she has ever produced. A unique occasion to see this prolific painter. More info this way.