Paula Rego's 'Obedience and Defiance' at IMMA Dublin

The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin presents 'Obedience and Defiance,' a major retrospective of Portuguese artist Paula Rego (born 1935, Lisbon), curated by Catherine Lampert. The exhibition features over 80 works, many never before exhibited, spanning from the 1960s to the present. Rego's practice ranges from political engagement to introspective explorations, addressing violence, poverty, tyranny, gender discrimination, abortion, love, and resentment through fairy tales, folklore, literature, and current events. Women are central, depicted as proud yet vulnerable. Early works employ mixed media and collage, notably against the dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar (e.g., 'Salazar a vomitar a Pátria,' 1960). From the 1980s, Rego shifted to pastels, emphasizing drawing over painting, while processing her husband Victor Willing's multiple sclerosis. The 'Menina e Cão' series uses dogs as metaphors for caregiving; 'Mulher Cão' series, created after Willing's death, shows women adopting canine postures to express grief and humiliation. Stylistically compared to Lucian Freud, Rego differs by focusing on inner drama and narrative. The exhibition includes works on abortion rights, created after the failed 1998 Portuguese referendum, later used in the 2008 pro-choice campaign. It concludes with a documentary by her son, Nick Willing. Runs until January 3, 2021.