 (b. 1934) has become known for her uniquely recognizable, colorful, and exuberant compositions that at first glance appear aesthetically simplistic, not seeming to align with any discernible style or movement, but on closer inspection are revealed to be wittily observed and subtly sophisticated meditations on the nature of visual representation itself. The artist has long been interested in exploring perspectival and compositional strategies other than, and as well as, traditional Renaissance perspective, frequently making numerous iterations of a given theme or motif as a means of advancing her formal investigation. Working in both single- and multi-panel formats, she regularly juxtaposes apparently disparate imagery, creating visual rhymes and resonances that coalesce into a unified composition.

Wylie studied at Folkestone and Dover School of Art, Kent, England, and the Royal College of Art, London, from which she graduated in 1981. The artist’s first solo exhibition took place in 1985 at the Trinity Arts Centre, in Kent. In recent years, she has had solo presentations at venues including the Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery, University of the Arts, Philadelphia (2012); Jerwood Gallery, Hastings, England (2012); Tate Britain, London (2013); Haugar kunstmuseum, Tønsberg, Norway (2013); Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg, Germany (2014); Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin (2015); Space K, Seoul (2016); Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Wales (2016); Turner Contemporary, Margate, England (2016); Serpentine Gallery, London (2017); Plymouth Arts Centre and The Gallery at Plymouth College of Art, England (an exhibition that traveled to Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange in Cornwall, England); Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, Spain (2018); and The Gallery at Windsor, Vero Beach, Florida (2020).

, the artist’s first solo museum presentation in the United States, was on view at the Aspen Art Museum in Colorado. Also in 2020, the solo exhibition 

 was on view at the Hangaram Art Museum in Seoul, before traveling to the Aram Nuri Arts Center, Goyang, South Korea in 2021. A solo exhibition of the artist's work was on view at the Museum Langmatt, Baden, Switzerland, in 2021. In 2022, the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (S.M.A.K.), Ghent, Belgium, presented 

was on view in 2023 at Place C in Gyeongju, South Korea.

Wylie is the recipient of the John Moores Painting Prize, presented by the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, in 2014, and the same year was also elected a senior academician to the Royal Academy of Arts. In 2015, she received the Royal Academy of Arts’s Charles Wollaston Award. In 2018, she received the South Bank Sky Arts Award in recognition of her exhibition at the Serpentine Galleries the previous year and was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for her services to art.

The artist's work has been represented by the gallery since 2017. Wylie’s first exhibition at David Zwirner, London, 

, was held in 2016, and her second solo presentation 

, the artist’s third solo presentation with the gallery, was on view in Hong Kong in 2020. In 2021, David Zwirner presented 

, the artist's first solo exhibition at the gallery's New York location. The solo exhibition 

 was on view at David Zwirner, London in 2022. In September 2023, a solo exhibition of Wylie’s work, 

, was on view at David Zwirner’s newly opened Los Angeles location. Wylie lives and works in Kent, England.

Wylie’s work can be found in prominent collections throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, including Arario Museum, Seoul; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC; Space K, Seoul; Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg, Germany; Tate, United Kingdom; and the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.

 (2017), was a finalist for the Premio von Rezzori. She has twice been a finalist for the Young Lions Fiction Award and has received fellowships from the Lannan and Santa Maddalena Foundations. Her work has been translated into eighteen languages and is being adapted for film and television. She teaches in the creative writing program at New York University.

Katie Kitamura

, a new series from David Zwirner Books, brings the world’s leading contemporary artists together with William Shakespeare. Featuring covers designed by the artists and illustrations throughout, these editions of Shakespeare’s plays are created with a whole new generation in mind, one of readers and art lovers alike.

Seeing Shakespeare

By William Shakespeare. Artwork by Rose Wylie. Introduction by Katie Kitamura

 is an ideal subject for the artist Rose Wylie, whose work frequently references classic stories and well-known characters.

Likely the last play written entirely by Shakespeare, 

 brings together various themes the Bard explored in his prior plays, including magic, revenge and forgiveness, order and society, and nature versus art. The shipwreck and remote island, the spirits, and the dukes and their children offer rich material for Wylie’s works on paper and canvas.

As the third title in David Zwirner Books’s 

 series, this book pairs a complex narrative with equally layered works by a contemporary artist who approaches the play and art making from a unique perspective. Also included is an introduction by the writer Katie Kitamura.

William Shakespeare × Rose Wylie: The Tempest

William Shakespeare × Rose Wylie: The Tempest | Books

David Zwirner is an art gallery with locations in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Hong Kong. We present physical and online exhibitions, podcasts, books, and more.