Rose Wylie (b.1934) is an internationally renowned figurative painter whose extensive oeuvre is inspired by a wide range of sources including literature, cinema, folklore, mythology and celebrity culture. Fascinated with honest, seemingly naïve expressions, the artist draws from clichéd as well as overlooked visual and narrative traditions. In her large-scale paintings, she effortlessly interweaves her vast knowledge of cultural production with observations and memories that evoke an impartial sense of wonder for everyday life.

Although Wylie’s compositions are immediate and playful, multiple studies often precede the actual paintings. They are underpinned by formal questions that are resolved in candid associations, remarkable scale distortions and unusual viewpoints. This complex pictorial process, in which the observation of the known world leads to the creation of a new one, imbues her precise renderings with a great visual intensity. This exhibition is the first museum presentation of Wylie’s work in Belgium and will include a new series of paintings.