Henri, Egypt...Bette, Bear

Henri, Egypt...Bette, Bear is an exhibition of new and recent canvases, multipanel works, and works on paper by British artist Rose Wylie at David Zwirner, Paris. This marks Wylie’s first solo presentation in Paris, a city she has visited frequently. The exhibition draws inspiration from Wylie’s long-standing admiration for the French post-impressionist artist Henri Rousseau, whose work similarly blends the personal, public, and fantastical.

The exhibition's title is derived from Wylie's painting "Homage to Henri, Bette and Bear," which reinterprets Rousseau's "Unpleasant Surprise." Wylie's work also incorporates imagery from a 2016 news report about an ancient Turkish mosaic, alongside observations from her domestic life. The paintings are characterized by their colourful, seemingly candid compositions that, upon closer inspection, reveal sophisticated meditations on visual representation, art history, and everyday subjects.