75 in Residence: Eileen Cooper

Eileen Cooper RA is your favourite artist’s favourite artist. With a career spanning more than four decades, she has been a vital force in British art, shaping the cultural landscape through her distinctive vision and influential presence. Her work featured in the landmark exhibition ‘Women’s Images of Men’ at the ICA London in 1980 and since then multiple group and solo exhibitions, both in the UK and internationally, have affirmed her position as one of the UK’s leading figurative artists. Her work is now held in major public and private collections including Tate, the British Museum and the Royal Collection.

A champion of emerging talent, Eileen holds an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Art and made history as the first woman to be elected Keeper of the Royal Academy since its founding in 1768, overseeing the RA Schools for six years. Her contributions to art and art education were formally recognised in 2016 when she was appointed an Officer of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

With the female figure and identity central to her practice, Eileen draws inspiration from all forms of art and art history, as well as mythology, fairytales, comics and cinema - to weave allegory and autobiography into imagery that is at once bold, tender and relatable. Launching at Seventy Five to coincide with International Women’s Day, this exhibition of works on canvas, drawing and watercolour works pays tribute to the breadth of her practice and the spirit of transformation and individuality that define her work, and Liberty.

Your career is incredibly prolific and spans over 50 years. You have work in the Tate, the British Museum, and the Royal Collection. Have you been asking the same questions throughout your career? Are the things that motivated you as a student the same things that motivate you now?

I think I was motivated by a personal journey, but I don’t think I had any questions at the beginning. I was just a sponge, and I was very lucky to have brilliant teachers. I’m a product of the great British art school. I learned to draw [at art school], which still underpins everything I do. I learned to take risks and to have fun. That was our mantra when I first started on Foundation.

Do you think attitudes among artists in the 1970s were different from today? Were people motivated by ambition or creativity?

Definitely creativity, because nobody thought we’d have careers, so the word “career” was not used. It’s much more corporate now. Of course, it’s more difficult for artists today: studios are more expensive, living is more expensive, everything. You’re not nurtured to the same extent we were. I had a grant and studied for three years at Goldsmiths and then three more years at the Royal College of Art, so I was pretty well looked after.

You’re from the Peak District. What was it like coming to London to study art?

Strangely, I took it in my stride. I came to Goldsmiths and lived around South London, so it didn’t really feel like London until I got to the Royal College. Things were very different then. I really wanted to escape my background and my family.

At 18, I came down to South East London, and we were all in the same boat. Everyone was new to the art world, and it was an amazing time. We were thrown together across disciplines – performance, photography – which was incredibly energising.

What was your work like back then? Has it changed much from what we see in 75 at Liberty?

It has changed a lot, but I’ve followed a very particular path: a journey of self-discovery and trying to understand the world through lived experience, art history, and other cultures. Over the years, female identity has become key to my work.

The female figure is central to your work. Who is the woman you’re drawing?

She’s both personal and universal.

Mythology also appears frequently. Where did that come from?

My earliest inspirations were stained glass windows, I still love that ultramarine colour. Then comics and television. I loved early action films like Jason and the Argonauts. Probably Greek and Roman myths more than fairy tales, though in the collective unconscious everything mixes together.

Do you have a favourite myth?

Narcissus. I also love Diana and Actaeon.

You use mirrors often. Is that a reference to Narcissus?

A little bit, but for me reflection is about a quest for self-knowledge – “Who is this person I’m looking at?” – rather than vanity.

Alongside your artistic career, you’ve been a major figure in art education. You became the first woman Keeper of the Royal Academy Schools, founded in 1768. What did that mean to you?

It took a lot of soul-searching to stand for the position. But I’d already been working in the Schools and running the printmaking department. I felt I knew what makes a good art school and wanted to be in a position to say yes to students when they asked for outrageous things. If we could make something happen, we would.

How did teaching affect your own work?

I always learned more from my students than I ever taught them. And the idea of the artist as a bohemian has never been my reality. It’s hard graft. You have to put in the hours, be self-critical, and find ways to fund what is a very expensive activity.

What keeps you motivated?

The question of what I’d do if I weren’t making art. Even with a family and a lovely home life, without my artwork I don’t know what I’d do.

How did it feel receiving an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II?

Complete shock. A huge honour. My mum would have been over the moon, she was a great admirer of the Queen. I was acknowledged for services to art and art education, which meant a great deal.

Let’s talk about the works shown at 75.

They’re all quite recent. The watercolours are made very differently from paintings, but I work on series, moving backwards and forwards between pieces. I was thinking about things I love, kimonos, slippers, make-up, bits of furniture. The bear crept in as well.

Where did the bear originate?

From illustrations I made for Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus. A character ends up living with a bear in Siberia. The bear has stayed with me. I love that idea from stories where humans and animals share a language.

There isn’t much aggression in your work.

No, though there is a darker side – shadows, staircases, night skies, the ocean. I love the idea that the viewer brings the last piece of the puzzle.

Who collects your work, and why do you think they’re drawn to it?

Many people first encountered my work through the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, which brings an extraordinary cross-section of people. Collectors buy for all sorts of reasons, special occasions, personal moments, simply to live with the work. It’s very moving.

Finally, what advice would you give to an aspiring artist?

Be true to yourself and put in the hours.

Visit Seventy Five at Liberty on the Third Floor before 2nd April 2026 to view or purchase Eileen Cooper's work.