Last updated: 28 October 2026
Anne Rothenstein is the London artist behind quiet, dreamlike paintings of figures and landscapes in thin washes of oil on wood. Here you will find our take on her work, where to see Anne Rothenstein paintings now, the one print you can buy, and her small painting in this year’s War Child auction.
Our take on Anne Rothenstein
Rothenstein paints figures and landscapes that feel half remembered. She works in thin washes of oil on wooden panels, so the grain often shows through. Each painting starts from a found picture. “The spark is always lit from an existing image, a photograph or another painting, and I often don’t discover why that image leaped out at me or what it is I’m exploring until the work is finished,” she said for her 2025 London show, quoted by Artdaily.
Her War Child piece, Storm, shows that method at postcard size. A sky of salmon and cream bands sits over a dark green hill. A red disc rests low on the left, while a black sun hangs over three dripping black strokes on the right. It is simple, a little ominous, and very much her.
She also guards the process. “People coming into my studio feels a bit like they’re reading my diary,” she told Apollo in 2025. Even so, the paintings give a lot away up close, and her small panels reward a slow look.
Anne Rothenstein: the essentials
- Born in 1949 and grew up in the Essex artists’ village of Great Bardfield, the daughter of the artists Michael Rothenstein and Duffy Ayers.
- Spent a year on a foundation course at Camberwell School of Art, then worked as an actress for around ten years before returning to painting. She is self-taught as a painter, according to Apollo.
- First solo show in 1991 at Montpelier Studio, London. Solo shows since include England & Co, Beaux Arts Gallery, Stephen Friedman Gallery in London and New York, and Charleston in Sussex in 2024, according to her own site.
- Has designed covers for the London Review of Books since 2012.
- An RWA Academician (Royal West of England Academy) and a regular exhibitor in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
- Represented by Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York; her gallery CV lists works in the Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden, and Sheffield’s Graves Gallery.
Where to see Anne Rothenstein now
- Coming up: Sound & Vision 2026, a War Child charity auction online from 27 October to 12 November 2026, with the works on view at Iconic Images Gallery, London, 6 to 8 November. The piece is Storm (2026), oil on wood, 21 x 15 cm (8.3 x 5.9 in), lot page.
- The Nabi Shock (group), Waddington Custot, London, 24 June to 12 September 2026.
- land marks (group), Pace Gallery, Los Angeles, 1 November 2025 to 17 January 2026.
- Frieze Masters 2025, Studio section, with Stephen Friedman Gallery: six new paintings plus studio ephemera, 15 to 19 October 2025.
- Solo show, Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, 14 March to 12 April 2025.
How to buy an Anne Rothenstein print or painting
There is one Anne Rothenstein print on sale in the UK at the moment, plus a small painting in a charity auction:
- Under a Red Cloud, 2025: a 13-colour screenprint on Somerset Satin, 60.5 x 60.5 cm (23.8 x 23.8 in), signed, numbered and dated, edition of 50, £3,500 with free UK shipping from Counter Editions.
- Storm, 2026: a small oil on wood in the War Child Sound & Vision auction, bidding from £100 until 12 November 2026 (bid here).
- Paintings: through Stephen Friedman Gallery, price on request.
Anne Rothenstein FAQs
Which gallery represents Anne Rothenstein?
Stephen Friedman Gallery, in London and New York.
Is Anne Rothenstein a Royal Academician?
No. She is an RWA Academician, of the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol, and she shows regularly in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
Can I buy an Anne Rothenstein print?
Yes. Under a Red Cloud (2025), a screenprint in an edition of 50, costs £3,500 from Counter Editions.
Where can I see Anne Rothenstein’s work in London?
Her War Child auction piece, Storm, is on view at Iconic Images Gallery from 6 to 8 November 2026.
More from CoolCuration
- Art on a Postcard: another charity art sale where small works by big names go for less.
- Frieze Masters 2026 review: the fair where she showed with Stephen Friedman in 2025.
- Best affordable art in the UK: prints and originals under £500.
- Gifts for artists: our edit of presents for people who make things.
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Main image: Anne Rothenstein in her studio, 2025. Courtesy the artist/Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York; © Anne Rothenstein. Via Apollo. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates, prices, auction results and market figures last checked: 28 October 2026.
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