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Rose Wylie, 91, Becomes First British Woman Painter to Headline RA First-Floor Galleries

The Royal Academy survey presents more than 90 works in a boldly ‘naive’ style shaped by her late return to painting.

Overview

  • Royal Academy of Arts exhibition runs in London from February 28 to April 19, 2026.
  • Reviewers report the show as a landmark placement for a British woman painter in the RA’s prestigious first-floor galleries.
  • Born in 1934, Wylie studied in the 1950s, paused painting to raise children, earned an MA in 1981, became a Royal Academician around 80 and later had a Serpentine solo.
  • The work draws on film stills, everyday notes and large text in ALL CAPS, with arrows, annotations and collage-like edits across large-scale canvases.
  • The Times previews praise high-energy highlights but judge the selection uneven, while Wallpaper* describes a bold, joyful retrospective of over 90 paintings and drawings.