Rebecca Fortnum
Rebecca Fortnum is an artist, academic, curator, and writer. She completed a BA English at the University of Oxford (1983–6) before gaining a Master of Fine Arts from Newcastle University (1986–8). Primarily known for her paintings and pencil drawings, Fortnum takes inspiration from sculptures, often using them as models for her own works. She undertook a research fellowship at the Henry Moore Institute (2021–22) wherein she responded to the artworks of fifteen women associated with French sculptor Auguste Rodin’s studio. The resultant series of artworks – ‘Les Praticiennes’ (2023) – reflect her wider scholarly interest in women artists, which has seen her publish books such as Contemporary British Women Artists: In Their Own Words (2008). Fortnum also writes about the artistic process and pedagogy, incorporating her own experience both as a practitioner and teaching experience, including Professor and Head of Fine Art at the Royal College of Art (2016-21) and Head of the School of Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art since 2021.
