Collection: ANITA KLEIN

Anita Klein, born in Sydney, Australia, in 1960, moved to England at an early age and studied at the Chelsea and Slade Schools of Art. She is a Fellow and former Principal of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers and her work is in many private and public collections in Europe, the US and Australia, including Arts Council England and the British Museum.

Klein's work is fascinating: on the surface it is a simple, joyful celebration of ordinary life, but there is much more behind it than that, much of it is deeply personal in its depiction of home and private life.

'I want to celebrate life in my work, especially everyday things and intimate relationships.

I studied painting at the Slade and then did a Masters in printmaking. Those were the days of scholarships and no fees, so incredibly I had seven years to experiment with being an artist and find a way of working that was truly mine and satisfying to me rather than just fashionable or for the approval of others. I was lucky that I started selling some work while I was still studying and was able to make a living from my work quite early on.

Paula Rego was a visiting lecturer when I was at the Slade and she was very encouraging, especially as figurative expression was unfashionable at the time (and still is), so she was perhaps a crucial influence.'