There is a lot of publicity surrounding Wylie at the moment to coincide with an upcoming exhibition at The Approach, London E2: ‘Rose Wylie and Evan Holloway’ opens 2 September until 2 October 2011.
Wylie was born in Kent, England in 1934. She attended The Royal College of Art, London from 1979-81 and Folkestone and Dover School of Art from 1952-56. She makes large-scale paintings and drawings that teem with strangely familiar characters and situations. Her inspiration comes from a dizzying array of sources, something that has led to a rather apt 'image magpie' tag in reviews. Her images are mentally rather than physically gathered before being reproduced in paint with a disarming air of naivety to produce vibrant works.
Basic primitivism gets to the nub of Wylie's subject matter, distilling it to it’s essence and celebrating it, with luxurious dabbed and stroked paint. Because of their simplified, exaggerated forms and repeated motifs her paintings and drawings often take on the appearance of animations or what she has called 'repeats'.
Wylie's subject matter is often drawn from contemporary culture: “I like working from memory, often using pin-ups, film stars, footballers etc, as they are shared contemporary gods, outside of art or religion” says Wylie. Alongside the iconic Yasser Arafat, Penelope Cruz and premier league footballers there are the personal day-to-day images such as a girl eating a chocolate biscuit. They are all there because they are part of the tapestry of visual imagery that Wylie encounters everyday – the real sharing the same space as characters in print and on film.
Her exhibitions include ‘Wear What You Like’ (solo), Transition Gallery 2008; ‘Swans Reflecting Elephants’, Kate MacGarry, London 2008; UNION, London 2006; EAST International, Norwich Gallery 2006 and ‘John Moores 16’ 1991. She was recently shortlisted for ‘Women to Watch’ 2010 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC. Her work is included in many public art collections, for example the Contemporary Art Society, Arts Council England, York City Art Gallery, Arario (Seoul, Korea) and Deal (Dallas, USA).
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| 1993 Beggar, Cloak, Saint and Horse oil on canvas |
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| 1997 Loves and Marriage charcoal and chalk collage |
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| 1997 Princess with Earring oil on canvas |
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| 1998 Plastic Bride oil on canvas |
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| 1999 City Road oil on canvas |
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| 1999 Lawn Tennis oil on canvas |
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| 2002 Mexican Floosie oil on canvas |
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| 2002 Wearing a Check Skirt oil on canvas |
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| 2003 Cats oil on canvas |
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| 2003 Green Twink and Ivy oil on canvas |
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| 2003 H after C oil on canvas |
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| 2003 Italian Hats oil on canvas |
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| 2003 White Faces oil on canvas |
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| 2004 Columbine oil on canvas |
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| 2004 DOT and Detail oil on canvas |
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| 2004 Flying Witches and JM oil on canvas |
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| 2004 Lily and Palm Trees oil on canvas |
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| 2004 Manor oil on canvas |
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| 2004 Volcano Witch oil on canvas |
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| 2004-5 Chance oil on canvas |
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| 2004-5 Hotel Volcano oil on canvas |
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| 2005 Blue Helmet oil on canvas |
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| 2005 Pin Up and Porn Queen Jigsaw oil on canvas |
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| 2006 Celebrity oil on canvas |
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| 2006 Choco Leibnitz oil on canvas |
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| 2006 Egypt Air oil on canvas |
