British artist Rose Wylie is the epitome of living a fulfilled life not defined by her age, as it wasn’t until her late 60s that she started to garner serious attention as a painter. Now in her nineties, the Royal Academy of Arts is hosting the largest exhibition of Wylie’s work to date.  

Art was clearly always her passion, as she first studied at Folkestone and Dover Schools of Art in Kent in the 1950s, before taking a break to raise a family. She later returned to formal study, completing an MA at the Royal College of Art in 1981.  

Her first major retrospective exhibition came at the age of 77, at the Jerwood Gallery in Hastings, England. It was swiftly followed by a notable exhibition at the Tate Britain in 2013, which propelled her to international acclaim. In 2014, she received one of the UK’s most prestigious art awards – the John Moores Painting Prize. More recently, she has appeared as a subject in Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2025 pre-collection campaign, photographed by Jurgen Teller.  

Wylie’s paintings and drawings are instantly recognisable, drawing on art history, film and popular culture. Working at scale, she has developed a visual language that resists convention. This unique style led the Royal Academy to call her “the rebel painter of the British art world”.  

According to the Royal Academy, Wylie nurtures her creativity by drawing every day – in sketchbooks, on large pieces of paper, or whatever materials are close to hand.  

Her life and work offer a different perspective on later life: not as a period of withdrawal, but as a time of renewed focus and creative freedom. As Wylie’s story suggests, some of our most meaningful chapters may still lie ahead. 

Rose Wylie: The Picture Comes First exhibition runs from 28 February – 19 April 2026 at the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD.