Dream & Discover
Discover Pauline Boty, The Only Blonde in the World, 1963
Along with her peers David Hockney and Peter Blake, Pauline Boty spearheaded a second wave of British Pop, capturing the rebellious energy of the Swinging Sixties through new techniques such as collage.
She brought a female perspective to the fledgling movement and addressed contemporary issues, including gender, identity and sexuality in her bold, vibrant Pop pieces.
This striking painting shows Marilyn Monroe — the ultimate sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s — pinned between two fields of abstract forms. Dare you say your instinctive, first response?
Largely forgotten in the decades after her death (Boty died of cancer, aged only 28), her work is now enjoying an uptick in interest. It’s gratifying that Britain’s first female Pop artist is finally getting the widespread recognition she deserves.