The exhibition by Anna Galea presents a retrospective exploration of her artistic journey, focusing on her lesser-known works depicting the human body. While Galea is widely known for her painterly portrayals of magnified flowers, vibrant fruits and vegetables, evocative seascapes, and abstracts, this exhibition unveils an entirely different facet of her oeuvre. For the first time, viewers will encounter her extensive collection of nudes and human figure studies, created over decades during live drawing sessions but never before exhibited.

 

At the heart of this collection lies a deep fascination with the human form, captured in its raw, unembellished essence. Galea’s work spans a variety of media — including watercolors, charcoal, pencil, and oil — each chosen best to reflect the immediacy and emotion of the moment. Many of these pieces were created alla prima, in a single sitting, with some drawn in mere minutes during fast-paced live sessions. Longer studies, lasting up to 20 minutes, reveal a deeper, more considered approach to her subjects.

 

The exhibition also highlights the cultural nuances in Galea’s work, particularly during her time in Dubai. Here, her studies of the male nude are subtly influenced by local customs, resulting in partially draped figures, reflecting the region’s norms and traditions, offering a fascinating contrast to her more traditional depictions of the nude.

 

This collection offers a fresh perspective on Galea's artistic versatility and evolution, tracing her engagement with the human form for over two decades. It invites viewers to step into a rarely seen aspect of her practice — intimate, experimental, and profoundly personal — shedding new light on the depth and diversity of her creative expression.