Plastic Footballers by Rose Wylie

Rose Wylie (b.1934) has enjoyed widespread critical attention in recent years. In 2015, she was elected a Senior Royal Academician, and in 2017, the Serpentine Gallery hosted a major exhibition of her work. She is the recipient of several prizes and her work has been placed in prominent collections throughout the world, including the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles and Tate, London.

Explaining the inspiration behind ‘Plastic Footballers’, Rose says: ‘I have been intrigued by plastic interpretations of live events or performances, like plastic cake decorations of a bride and bridegroom. And Subbuteo footballers were every bit as good as an idea to work from. They referenced both football and children’s Christmas presents, and the exciting box they came in was not an exception. It triggered this image.’