In remembering Paula Rego, I discovered the attached recording of her talking about her commissioned portrait of Germaine Greer. I knew it had been a struggle. RIP.
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/paula-rego-on-her-struggle-to-paint-a-portrait-of-germaine-greer
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
By sheer coincidence, I’m just about to start reading a biography of Greer, by Elizabeth Kleinhenz. I’ll be interested to see if the portrait is mentioned.
I thought it was a brilliant portrait, and still do. Charles
Thanks for sharing that lovely interview with Paula. The Greer portrait is great. Luckily Paula didn’t keep to her words at the end of interview: that she ‘would never do another portrait for the National Portrait Gallery’ as I persuaded her in 2005 to take on David Hare: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw111990/Sir-David-Hare?LinkID=mp82037&role=sit&rNo=0
Very good ! I had forgotten that she did Hare as well. Charles
When I interviewed Paula and Germaine (separately) for a short Channel4 film about that portrait (in about 2000), Germaine claimed the pose was her idea, much to Paula’s amusement!