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Eileen Cooper

Born 1953, Glossop, Derbyshire, England.

Following a foundation course at the school of art in Ashton-under-Lyne Eileen Cooper studied at Goldsmiths' College in London (1971-74) and at the Royal College of Art (1974-77).

She has exhibited regularly and widely in the UK since 1974; she is a figurative artist, her paintings and prints predominantly featuring women in bold and colourful enactments of themes such as relationships, motherhood and sexuality.

She was elected a Royal Academician in 2000 and in 2010 became the first woman to be appointed Keeper of the Royal Academy, which includes responsibility for the Royal Academy Schools. In 2016 she was awarded an OBE for services to Art and Art Education.

Cooper’s work is represented in more than twenty-five public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Arts Council Collection, the Royal Collection, the Government Art Collection and the Arts Council Collection.

The suite of etchings was purchased in 1991 by the Friends of the Mead.

Stepping Out
The Lesson
All Hell Let Loose
Dawn Chorus
Stowaway