Anne Desmet - Building without Barriers

She could easily be called the ‘British Escher’, as Anne Desmet has been fascinated by themes of transformation and architecture from a young age, using them as the foundation for her prints and drawings. At art school (Ruskin School of Art, Oxford University), she learned etching, woodcutting, copper engraving, screen printing and lithography. Since then, wood engraving and lithography have become her favourite techniques. Winning the Lithography Prize of the Printmakers Council in London at the age of 23, followed by a Rome Scholarship, set the stage for her illustrious career.

In Rome, she created her first architectural work, and after returning to England, urban landscapes also captured her attention. Like Escher, she is fascinated by the world around her, always with Italy in mind. Desmet became a renowned artist in Britain, where she has been appointed a ‘Royal Academician’, the third wood engraver ever to receive this title. She has received dozens of national and international awards and prizes, has had numerous solo exhibitions including museum shows in Italy, Russia and Brazil as well as various museums in England and Wales, and she has worked on many commissions both for museums and for private clients.