Member lectureDiscover the power of Paula Rego
Paula Rego (1935–2022) is widely regarded as one of the most important figurative artists of our time — a fearless and brilliant visual storyteller. Drawing on her childhood in Portugal as well as literary sources, myths, and art history, she created enigmatic and intense compositions where fantasy and reality slip seamlessly into one another.
Rego brought women’s experiences, vulnerability, power, and resistance to the forefront — revealing a strength and agency long overlooked. The result is art that moves, challenges, and lingers in the mind.
In this lecture, curator Kari J. Brandtzæg invites you into Rego’s artistic universe, exploring how she developed her distinctive visual language through dialogue with some of the most influential figures in modern art.
At sixteen, Rego discovered Edvard Munch at an exhibition at Tate Gallery in 1951 — an encounter that left a lasting mark. She later studied at the Slade School of Art, where she met artists such as Lucian Freud, David Hockney, and Francis Bacon.
Yet it was her deep engagement with Portuguese and European fairy tales in the 1970s that became her most enduring source of inspiration — shaping the powerful blend of the poetic and the unsettling that defines her work.
This lecture offers:
- Unique insight into one of Europe’s most influential artists
- Fresh perspectives on the relationship between art, literature, and power
- The story of artistic encounters that changed a life — and left a mark on art history
Whether you are an art enthusiast, a student, or simply curious about powerful visual storytelling, this lecture will expand your understanding of both Rego’s work and the world she confronted.
Kari J. Brandtzæg is a conservator/curator at the Munch Museum and holds a master's degree in art history with a thesis on Russian art. Her exhibitions include Knausgård on Munch (2017), Head to Head (2017), The Swan Princess (2019), Tracey Emin|Munch. The Solitude of the Soul (2021), Perhaps It Is Beautiful (2022), Marianne Bratteli. Heartbeat (2023), Vanessa Baird. Go Down with Me (2024), and Paula Rego. Dance Among Thorns (2026). She has previously worked as an art historian and curator at several art institutions, including the Arts Council Norway, KORO (Public Art Norway), the National Museum, and Artists’ House, where she was awarded the Critics' Prize for The Shadow of War. Political Art in Norway 1914–2014 (2015).
