DESMET, Anne RA RE, b. 1964 ~ St Paul’s: Dusk.
Original wood engraving and stencil on Gampi vellum paper. Edition of 30, numbered, titled and signed in pencil by the artist. Image size 215 x 175 mm. Paper size 255 x 380 mm.
Anne Desmet combines using the end of the boxwood engraving block to represent London’s sky at dusk with skilful use of pochoir to emphasise the depth of tone in this dramatic print. One of a set of five works in the Impressionists’ tradition of studying the same subject at different times of day.
Anne Desmet was born and brought up in Liverpool and gained her BFA and MA in Fine Art from Oxford and a Postgraduate Diploma in Printmaking from Central School of Art and Design. In 2011 she became the third wood engraver to be elected as a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in its 250 year history. Desmet’s works are in numerous public and private collections across the World including the Ashmolean Museum and the Whitworth Art Gallery. She has completed several important commissions including pieces for the British Museum, National Gallery, British Library, V & A, Bailliol and Worcester Colleges, Oxford, the Royal Mint and Dulwich College. She has had over 30 solo shows to date including three major retrospectives at the Ashmolean, the Whitworth and the Ex Libris Museum in Moscow.
Desmet is engaged with the evolution of the urban landscape and its testimony to the aspirations and experiences of humanity. Her work ranges from small scale, detailed examinations to sweeping, often fantastical, panoramas.