A Rose for Pauline Boty
Evgeniya Antonova
2026
More than 60 years ago, in 1964, Pauline Boty painted “It’s a Man’s World.” At the centre of it all, amidst the “icons” of the male world, she placed a red rose — as an indication of the fragile, yet undeniable, female presence.
However, today I want to move away from the feminist agenda and shift the focus to what is deeply personal. This is a story about a choice for which there is, and cannot be, a “right” answer. Faced with cancer during her pregnancy, Boty refused treatment to give her daughter a chance. She chose someone else’s life over her own, dying just a few months after childbirth. Her daughter, Katy-Bloom, would die at the age of 29 from a heroin overdose.
This rose is not just for Pauline. It is for every woman facing a choice today. It is about that invisible strength and that pain that remain off-stage, but which form the true picture of human destiny.
However, today I want to move away from the feminist agenda and shift the focus to what is deeply personal. This is a story about a choice for which there is, and cannot be, a “right” answer. Faced with cancer during her pregnancy, Boty refused treatment to give her daughter a chance. She chose someone else’s life over her own, dying just a few months after childbirth. Her daughter, Katy-Bloom, would die at the age of 29 from a heroin overdose.
This rose is not just for Pauline. It is for every woman facing a choice today. It is about that invisible strength and that pain that remain off-stage, but which form the true picture of human destiny.
Regular price
€2.500,00 EUR
Regular price
Sale price
€2.500,00 EUR
More than 60 years ago, in 1964, Pauline Boty painted “It’s a Man’s World.” At the centre of it all, amidst the “icons” of the male world, she placed a red rose — as an indication of the fragile, yet undeniable, female presence.
However, today I want to move away from the feminist agenda and shift the focus to what is deeply personal. This is a story about a choice for which there is, and cannot be, a “right” answer. Faced with cancer during her pregnancy, Boty refused treatment to give her daughter a chance. She chose someone else’s life over her own, dying just a few months after childbirth. Her daughter, Katy-Bloom, would die at the age of 29 from a heroin overdose.
This rose is not just for Pauline. It is for every woman facing a choice today. It is about that invisible strength and that pain that remain off-stage, but which form the true picture of human destiny.
However, today I want to move away from the feminist agenda and shift the focus to what is deeply personal. This is a story about a choice for which there is, and cannot be, a “right” answer. Faced with cancer during her pregnancy, Boty refused treatment to give her daughter a chance. She chose someone else’s life over her own, dying just a few months after childbirth. Her daughter, Katy-Bloom, would die at the age of 29 from a heroin overdose.
This rose is not just for Pauline. It is for every woman facing a choice today. It is about that invisible strength and that pain that remain off-stage, but which form the true picture of human destiny.