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Caroline Walker (artist)

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Caroline Walker
Born1982 (age 4344)
Dunfermline
Alma materGlasgow School of Art
Royal College of Art
MovementFeminist Art Movement

Caroline Walker (born 1982) is a Scottish-born contemporary visual artist based in London. She is known for voyeuristic paintings of women working.[1][2][3]

Walker was born in Dunfermline.[4]

Education

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Walker obtained a bachelor's degree in painting from Glasgow School of Art. She earned her master's degree from Royal College of Art in London.[5]

Work

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Walker used to imagine scenes and hire models to depict them. She took photographs and would use them as a source in constructing oil paintings. In 2016, she began looking in London streets for anonymous subjects in natural settings.[6][7][8]

Walker captures intimate moments of women's lives. She is known for realistic paintings of women at work. She highlights overlooked jobs — such as in nail bars, salons, hotels, the household etc. — which are performed by women. There is a variety of socio-economic status among her subjects.[1][3][6][8][7]

Walker's works make the viewers feel like voyeurs, as her subjects are seen from a vantage point through windows, bannisters or from a certain height. Her works are often large, making it easy for the viewer to imagine stepping into the scene.[6][9]

Walker's art is often painterly. Colour is an important element for her so as to evoke a painting's aura or ambience.[6][10][5]

Walker's work is held in collections such as the Pérez Art Museum Miami, and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, both in Florida.[11] She was elected to the Royal Scottish Academy in 2024.[12]

From 22 November 2025 – 26 April 2026, Walker's work was shown in the exhibition Caroline Walker: Mothering at the Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, United Kingdom.[13]

Selected works

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  • Pool Party (2013)[9]
  • Pampered Pedis (2016)[6]
  • Training (2017)[citation needed]
  • Apparition (2017)[14]
  • Not Going Out (2017)[15]
  • Three Maids (2018)
  • Abi (2018)[16]
  • Making Fishcakes (2019)[17]
  • Bathroom Sink Cleaning (2019)
  • Planting Decisions (2019)[18]
  • Sewing (2019)
  • Drafting (2019)[19]

References

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  1. 1 2 Millington, Ruth (10 March 2020). "6 Contemporary Feminist Artists Active Today by Ruth Millington". Rise Art. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  2. Scantlebury, Abigail (26 October 2019). "The 'invisible' female workers of London – in pictures". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 Mansfield, Susan. "Art reviews: Caroline Walker at Ingleby | John Byrne at Glasgow Print Studio". www.scotsman.com. JPIMedia Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  4. "Caroline Walker". ARTUNER | Curated Contemporary Art. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  5. 1 2 Boddington, Ruby. "Caroline Walker paints the unseen women of London's service industries". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Spicer, Emily. "Caroline Walker: 'Who we perceive to be the maker of an image affects how we consume it'". studio international. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Caroline Walker - 41 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy". Artsy. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Caroline Walker | Artist Profile, Exhibitions & Artworks". ocula.com. Ocula Ltd. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  9. 1 2 Newman, Martin (31 July 2013). "Bad Intent: Caroline Walker's Paintings Give an Uneasy Edge to the Lifestyles of the rich and fabulous". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  10. Black, Holly (28 October 2018). "Caroline Walker's Paintings of Women Reclaim the Gaze". ELEPHANT. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  11. "Dusting Ornaments Late Morning March". Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  12. "The RSA welcomes four new Members". Royal Scottish Academy. 12 December 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  13. "Caroline Walker: Mothering". Pallant House Gallery. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  14. Society, Contemporary Art (28 March 2018). "Suite of works by Caroline Walker acquired for Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate". Contemporary Art Society. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  15. "Caroline Walker | Not Going Out (2017) | Artsy". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  16. "Caroline Walker on Transience and Domestic Spaces". ELEPHANT. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  17. "How artists are coping with quarantine". Apollo Magazine. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  18. "Striking paintings by Caroline Walker of her mother cooking, cleaning and tidying at home". Creative Boom. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  19. "Caroline Walker, Drafting, 2019". GRIMM. Retrieved 17 February 2021.