Eileen Cooper (born 10 June 1953) is a British artist, known primarily as a painter and printmaker.

Early life

Cooper was born in

Glossop Glossop is a market town in the borough of High Peak (borough), High Peak, Derbyshire, England, east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of Matlock, Derbyshire, Matlock. Near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Mancheste ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

and attended Ashton-under-Lyne College of Further Education. She went on to study at

Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a Member institutions of the University of London, constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The G ...

(1971-1974) and the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

(1974-1977) gaining an MA in painting.

Career

Between 1977 and 2000 she was visiting lectures at arts schools across the UK including Falmouth School of Art,

Leicester College Leicester College is a further education college in Leicester, England. It is one of the largest colleges in the UK, with more than 26,000 students, 1,600 staff, plus an annual budget of over £50million. It has three main campuses in the ci ...

of Art & Design, St Martin’s School of Art, Camberwell College of Arts, and City & Guilds of London Art School. She lectured on Printmaking at the

between 1994 and 2006 and became Head of Printmaking at the

Royal Academy Schools The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in 2005 until 2010. She was elected a Royal Academician in 2001. From 2010 to 2017, Cooper served as Keeper of the Royal Academy, one of only 4 officers selected from the 80 Royal Academicians, and with primary responsibility for the

, thereby becoming the first woman to be elected to this role in the Royal Academy's 250-year history. In 2017, Cooper curated and co-ordinated the Royal Academy of Arts' 249th annual Summer Exhibition. After ending her teaching role at the Royal Academy Schools in 2017 Cooper returned to drawing from life and portraiture in particular. Two of the works from this series (one of fellow Royal Academician Cathie Pilkington and the other a

self-portrait Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...

) were acquired by the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

Selected solo exhibitions

* 2019 ''Personal Space'', Huxley-Parlour Gallery, London * 2018 ''Under the Same Moon'', Letitia Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon * 2017 ''Till the Morning Comes'', The Fine Art Society, London * 2017 ''Eileen Cooper: A Woman's Skin'', Wolfson College,

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

* 2016 ''Between the Lines'', Galerie MIRO, Prague, Czech Republic * 2015 ''Hide and Seek: Work on Paper 1977-2014'',

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, London (touring to Swindon Museum and Art Gallery; The Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate) * 2015 ''In the Garden'', Rabley Drawing Centre, Marlborough, Wiltshire * 2013 ''Edge to Edge'', Art First, London * 2012 South Lookout Project, Aldeburgh Beach, Suffolk * 2010 ''Collages'',

, London * 2008 ''Taking Stock: The Printmaking of Eileen Cooper RA'',

Clifford Chance Clifford Chance LLP is a British multinational law firm headquartered in London, England, and a member of the " Magic Circle", a group of leading London-based multinational law firms. In 2022-2023 Clifford Chance was the third largest law fir ...

, London and

Liverpool Hope University Liverpool Hope University (abbreviated LHU) is a public university with campuses in Liverpool, England. ‌The university grew out of three Normal school#United Kingdom, teacher training colleges: Saint Katharine's College (originally Warring ...

* 2000 ''Raw Material: Eileen Cooper at Dulwich Picture Gallery'',

Dulwich Picture Gallery Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, south London. It opened to the public in 1817 and was designed by the Regency architect Sir John Soane. His design was recognized for its innovative and influential method of illumination f ...

, London * 1999 ''Second Skin: Eileen Cooper in the 80s and 90s'' travelling exhibition (Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Eastbourne) * 1994 ''Eileen Cooper at Sadlers Wells'', Sadlers Wells Theatre, London * 1992 ''Drawings'', Benjamin Rhodes Gallery, London * 1986 Castlefield Gallery, Manchester * 1979 AIR Gallery, London

Selected group exhibitions

* 1997-2018 Regular exhibitor at Summer Exhibition,

, London * 2018 ''Sawdust and Sequins: The Art of the Circus'',

Royal West of England Academy The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) is Bristol's oldest art gallery, located in Clifton, Bristol, near the junction of Queens Road and Whiteladies Road. Situated in a Grade II* listed building, it hosts five galleries and an exhibition prog ...

, Bristol * 2016 ''Towards Night'', curated by Tom Hammick,

Towner Art Gallery Towner Eastbourne (formerly Towner Art Gallery) is an art gallery located in Eastbourne, East Sussex, on the south coast of England. The gallery hosts one of the most significant public art collections in the Southern England, South of England ...

, Eastbourne * 2015 ''She Came to Stay'', curated by Aretha Campbell and Lucy Farley
Rook and Raven Gallery
London * 2015 ''Good Figures'', Mall Galleries, London, Jerwood Gridshell Space, Weald and Downland Open Air Museum * 2014 ''Jerwood Drawing Prize 1994-2014: Artist as Selector'', Jerwood Gallery, Hastings * 2012/13 ''Encounter:'' ''The Royal Academy in the Middle East'', Doha * 2012 ''Encounter:'' ''The Royal Academy in Asia'',

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...

, Singapore * 2004 ''The Jerwood Drawing Prize'', Jerwood Space, London * 1993 ''Contemporary Art at the Courtauld,''

Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. The art collection is known particularly for ...

, London * 1992 ''The New Patrons: Twentieth Century Art from Corporate Collections'',

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

, London * 1992 ''Myth, Dream and Fable'', Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham * 1992 ''Innocence and Experience'', South Bank Centre, London,

Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre, England. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupi ...

, Hull and Glasgow * 1988 ''The New British Painting'', Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati; Chicago Public Library Cultural Center; Haggerty Museum, Milwaukee; South-eastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem;

Grand Rapids Art Museum The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) is an art museum located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, with collections ranging from Renaissance to Modern Art and special collections on 19th and 20th-century European and American art. Its holdin ...

, Michigan * 1986 John Moores,

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History The Walker Art Gallery's collection dates from 1819 ...

, Liverpool * 1985 ''Hand Signals'',

Ikon Gallery The Ikon Gallery () is an England, English art gallery, gallery of contemporary art, located in Brindleyplace, Birmingham. It is housed in the Listed building, Grade II listed, neo-Gothic former Oozells Street Board School, designed by John Henr ...

, Birmingham * 1984 ''The Image as Catalyst'',

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University ...

, Oxford * 1982, 1983, 1987 ''Whitechapel Open'', Whitechapel Art Gallery, London * 1980 ''Women's Images of Men'', Institute of Contemporary Art, London * 1974-76 ''New Contemporaries'',

Camden Arts Centre Camden Art Centre (known as Hampstead Arts Centre until 1967 and Camden Arts Centre until 2020) is a contemporary art gallery in the London Borough of Camden, England. It hosts temporary exhibitions and educational outreach projects, with a prog ...

, London

Selected public collections

* Arts Council Collection *

Government Art Collection The Government Art Collection (GAC) is the collection of artworks owned by the UK government and administered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The GAC's artworks are used to decorate major government buildings in the UK and ...

, UK * Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery * Bristol Museum & Art Gallery * British Museum, London * Dallas Museum of Art, USA *

Imperial College, London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

* Kunsthalle, Nuremberg, Germany *

* MIMA, Middlesbrough *

, London * New Hall Art Collection, Murray Edwards College,

* Newport Museum and Art Gallery, Wales *

The Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

* Pallant House Gallery, Chichester *

, London *The

Royal Collection Trust The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

, London * Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust * Swindon Museum and Art Gallery * The Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne * Victoria & Albert Museum, London *

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

Art Collection * Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University, Connecticut, USA * Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester * Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Awards and honours

* 2018: Glyndebourne Opera Invited Artist * 2009 & 2017: Co-ordinator and curator,

Summer Exhibition *

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

: Appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) for services to the Arts and Arts Education * 2016: Made Honorary Fellow, Murray Edwards College,

* 2013: Made Honorary Doctor of Arts, Southampton Solent University * 2011: Made Honorary Fellow,

, London * 2011: Elected Keeper of the

, first woman elected to the post since its foundation in 1768 * 2010, 2013: Artist in Residence, Alayrac, Tarn France * 2008-09: Artist in Residence, Lewisham College, London * 2006: Made Fellow of the

* 2002: Made Honorary Member, Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers * 2001: Elected Royal Academician * 1999: Arts & Humanities Research Council Award for ceramics * 1998-99: Artist in Residence

, London * 1992: Staircase project Institute of Contemporary Art, London * 1982: Purchase Prize, Nuremberg Drawing Triennial

Publications

* ''Under the Same Moon'' by Anna McNay, Letitia Gallery, Beirut, 2018 * ''Eileen Cooper: A Woman's Skin'' by Meredith M Hale and Philip Lindley, Wolfson College,

, 2017 * ''Eileen Cooper: Till the Morning Comes'' by Michèle Roberts, The Fine Art Society, London, 2017 * ''Eileen Cooper: Between the Lines'' by Martin Gayford, Royal Academy of Arts, 2015 * ''Hide and Seek: Work on Paper 1977-2014'' by Anna McNay, Royal Academy of Arts, 2015 * ''The New British Painting'' by Edward Lucie-Smith, Carolyn Cohen and Judith Higgins, Phaidon, Oxford, 1988 * ''Contemporary Women Artists'' by Sister Wendy Beckett, Oxford, 1988 * ''Trans Avant Garde International: New Painting in Britain'' by Achille Bonito Oliva, Milan, 1982

Television and broadcast

* ''In the Studio'' film b
Charlie Paul
2015 * ''Art School, Smart School'', BBC Radio 4 documentary, produced by Just Radio Ltd, 20 November 2014 * ''Women Artists'' interview with Emma Jane Kirby for ‘PM’, BBC Radio 4, 28 August 2014
''What I See Project''
film, 2013 * ''A Story of Eileen Cooper, Artist and Keeper of the Royal Academy’'', ww.ladieswhoimpress.com Ladieswholmpress 17 October 2013 * ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...

'', BBC Radio 4, 2012 * ''Art School Education'' interview by Alexander Massouras for Tate Library & Archive, 16 September 2010 * ''Inside Art'' documentary series, Channel 4, 1994 (BAFTA nominated) * ''The Art'' documentary, BBC Education, 1993

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Eileen 1953 births Living people 20th-century British printmakers 21st-century British printmakers 20th-century English women artists 21st-century English women artists Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Alumni of the Royal College of Art British contemporary painters English printmakers English women painters Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Glossop Royal Academicians Keepers of the Royal Academy British women printmakers