Paula Rego Drawing from Life

The winter sale code does not apply to this publication

This special exhibition publication chronicles an intensely personal period Paula Rego spent in her studio from 2005 to 2007 when her output was charged with intensified purpose and she explored much more darker themes than ever before.

A major catalyst for the work explored in this publication was the connection and kinship she found in the work of director Martin McDonagh through his play The Pillowman and a series of short stories which McDonagh personally shared with Rego.

The stories became a channel for Rego to feed her own personal history, bringing to bear her childhood memories and an inner world filled with contradictions, conflict and personal crises. Other stories that fascinated the artist which are also explored in the book include a sixteenth-century Italian fairy tale and O Vinho, by Portuguese writer João de Melo.

A foreword by Sophie Hall; in-depth essay by Nick Willing, filmmaker, writer and son of Paula Rego; reproductions of McDonagh’s short stories and correspondence with Rego; archive photography; and illustrations of over 60 artworks weave together to give the reader a deeper understanding of the complex themes that engulfed Rego and her world as she entered her seventh decade.

Paula Rego: Drawing from Life is a collaboration between The Estate of Paula Rego and Cristea Roberts Gallery.

Publisher: Cristea Roberts Gallery
Publication date: November 2025