Anne Desmet was born in Liverpool in 1964 and was a student at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford from 1983-86. Subsequently she studied at the Central School of Art and Design in London and was awarded a scholarship at the British School in Rome. Anne Desmet is one of the most original talents in contemporary printmaking. Her wood engravings and collages show a unique imagination as well as an abundance of technical skill. Central to her work is a vision of architecture, often depicted in minute detail. A year spent in Italy inspired the many prints featuring Roman and Italian buildings. The multi-layered aspect of Italian cities is shown with ancient ruins co-existing with the modern. Desmet explores the themes of change, decay and regeneration with some of her subjects undergoing amazing transformations in a series of related images, like looking at a flickbook or a series of film stills.