The evocation of tension—social, sexual, emotional, and fictional—is the thread that runs through Paula Rego’s work. These tensions unite figures who appear to be rooted in the intimacy of domestic life, yet Rego’s visual narratives often eschew realism in favor of allegory and dream, giving her art an archetypal quality.

Born in Portugal, Rego has been living in London since the ’60s, where she has gradually emerged as a significant voice in contemporary European painting. Throughout her career, she has embraced a wide range of styles, beginning with the art brut of Dubuffet in the ’50s. She is