My Choice - Works selected by Paula Rego from the
British Council Collection
10 February - 12 June 2011
Opening hour: 18h30
«…At the end of the room were big, black, cardboard boxes,
stacked on top of each other, full of etchings and prints. I had
the impression that some had not been opened for years and years,
that no-one had ever looked at some of them. I came across a magic
world of places so beautifully drawn, houses with windows of
various sizes, landscapes and townscapes, often mysterious. I felt
my heart beating not knowing what lay underneath; surprise after
surprise and I was full of expectation and delight. (…) I really
only chose what I liked. I didn't choose pictures because of the
name of the artist, or because they were considered historically
significant. Very often I didn't know who had done them. Some I had
seen before, but others
not.(…)».
December
2010
Text by Paula Rego, from the exhibition
catalogue.
From 10 February until 12 June 2011, the Casa das Histórias
Paula Rego will present 120 works selected by Paula Rego from the
large collection owned by the British Council. The exhibition
consists predominantly of British artists of the last hundred
years, and includes drawings, etchings, photographs and paintings
that reflect Paula Rego's taste. Her choice reveals her own take on
the world and echoes many of the themes that appear in her works:
in some, a sense of menace underlies the narrative, in others
sexual tension, absurdity or fun. Her love of drawing is also
reflected in the number and variety of graphic works by little
known artists, which rub shoulders with more iconic and famous
images. The big names include Lucian Freud (Naked girl with
Egg), David Hockney (39 etchings of Grimm's Fairy
Tales), Patrick Caulfield, Grayson Perry, Walter Sickert,
Graham Sutherland, Paul Nash and Richard Hamilton. One of the
photographs by the completely unknown Madame Yevonde is reproduced
on the poster for the exhibition.
My Choice is a joint partnership between the Fundação Paula
Rego/Casa das Histórias, British Council, Fundação EDP and
University of Coimbra. After its opening at the Casa das Histórias,
the exhibition will travel to the newly-opened Galeria Fundação EDP
in Oporto in July where it will be on show until October, from
where it will then follow on to the Casa das Caldeiras at the
University of Coimbra.
Website
www.britishcouncil.org/collection
www.britishcouncil.org