Edvard Munch’s formative influence on Paula Rego revealed in unearthed painting

‘It’s so impressive that you can’t imagine,’ wrote a 16-year-old Rego to her mother after seeing a Munch exhibition in London in 1951

He is the towering modern artist of the Nordics; she the most influential figurative painter of the Iberian peninsula. But for decades, no one realised there was a line of influence between Edvard Munch and Paula Rego.

Now, the discovery of an early painting and a previously overlooked letter by the late Rego has revealed the formative role the Norwegian painter played in shaping the Portuguese artist’s work and career.