Kaye Donachie: Song for the Last Act

Contemporary British artist Kaye Donachie (b.1970) is best known for her figurative, dream-like portraits of women. Her portraits are not direct representations of her subjects but are ‘abstract narratives’, informed by art and literature by 20th century women. Often these women have been historically marginalised and include radical writers, activists, poets and artists. Donachie describes their biographies as ‘sparse, but that affords a space in which to interpret narratives in my painting and representation.’ This monograph brings together a selection of the artist’s muted, figurative paintings, exploring the complexities of the muse and female agency in art and literature. It includes an introduction by Simon Martin based on interviews with the artist exploring her engagement with modern art and literature, together with short texts by the artist herself.