The British Surrealists
The lives, loves, and works of key British Surrealists revealed by one of the last surviving members of this movement, best-selling author and artist Desmond Morris. 

Honored for their idiosyncratic and imaginative works, the surrealists marked a pivotal moment in the history of modern art in Britain— pioneering the Surrealist movement between World War I and II. Many artists banded together to form the British Surrealist Group, while others carved their own, independent paths.

Here, best-selling author and surrealist artist Desmond Morris—one of the last surviving members of this important art movement—draws on his personal memories and experiences to present the intriguing life stories, complex love lives, and groundbreaking works of this wild and curious set of artists. From the rebelliousness of Leonora Carrington to the beguiling Eileen Agar and the “brilliant” Ceri Richards, Morris brings his subjects’ triumphs as well as their shortcomings to the fore.

Laced with his inimitable wit, and profusely illustrated by images of the artists and their artworks, Morris’s vivid account reflects the movement’s strange, rebellious, and imaginative nature. Featuring thirty- four surrealists—some famous, some now largely forgotten—Morris’s intimate book takes us back in time to a generation that allowed its creative unconscious to drive their passions in both art and life. 

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The British Surrealists
The lives, loves, and works of key British Surrealists revealed by one of the last surviving members of this movement, best-selling author and artist Desmond Morris. 

Honored for their idiosyncratic and imaginative works, the surrealists marked a pivotal moment in the history of modern art in Britain— pioneering the Surrealist movement between World War I and II. Many artists banded together to form the British Surrealist Group, while others carved their own, independent paths.

Here, best-selling author and surrealist artist Desmond Morris—one of the last surviving members of this important art movement—draws on his personal memories and experiences to present the intriguing life stories, complex love lives, and groundbreaking works of this wild and curious set of artists. From the rebelliousness of Leonora Carrington to the beguiling Eileen Agar and the “brilliant” Ceri Richards, Morris brings his subjects’ triumphs as well as their shortcomings to the fore.

Laced with his inimitable wit, and profusely illustrated by images of the artists and their artworks, Morris’s vivid account reflects the movement’s strange, rebellious, and imaginative nature. Featuring thirty- four surrealists—some famous, some now largely forgotten—Morris’s intimate book takes us back in time to a generation that allowed its creative unconscious to drive their passions in both art and life. 

39.95 In Stock
The British Surrealists

The British Surrealists

by Desmond Morris
The British Surrealists

The British Surrealists

by Desmond Morris

Hardcover

$39.95 
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Overview

The lives, loves, and works of key British Surrealists revealed by one of the last surviving members of this movement, best-selling author and artist Desmond Morris. 

Honored for their idiosyncratic and imaginative works, the surrealists marked a pivotal moment in the history of modern art in Britain— pioneering the Surrealist movement between World War I and II. Many artists banded together to form the British Surrealist Group, while others carved their own, independent paths.

Here, best-selling author and surrealist artist Desmond Morris—one of the last surviving members of this important art movement—draws on his personal memories and experiences to present the intriguing life stories, complex love lives, and groundbreaking works of this wild and curious set of artists. From the rebelliousness of Leonora Carrington to the beguiling Eileen Agar and the “brilliant” Ceri Richards, Morris brings his subjects’ triumphs as well as their shortcomings to the fore.

Laced with his inimitable wit, and profusely illustrated by images of the artists and their artworks, Morris’s vivid account reflects the movement’s strange, rebellious, and imaginative nature. Featuring thirty- four surrealists—some famous, some now largely forgotten—Morris’s intimate book takes us back in time to a generation that allowed its creative unconscious to drive their passions in both art and life. 


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780500024881
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Publication date: 06/14/2022
Pages: 248
Product dimensions: 6.70(w) x 9.70(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Desmond Morris is one of the last surviving surrealists. His first solo exhibition was held in 1948 and in 1950 he shared his first London show with Joan Miró. He has since completed over 2,500 surrealist paintings, and eight books have been published about his work. He is the bestselling author of The Naked Ape: A Zoologist’s Study of the Human Animal, The Lives of the Surrealists, Postures: Body Language in Art, and The British Surrealists.

Table of Contents

Preface 6

Introduction 12

Marion Adnams 14

Eileen Agar 19

John Armstrong 27

Francis Bacon 33

John Banting 41

John Selby Bigge 46

Emmy Bridgwater 51

Edward Burra 55

Leonora Carrington 61

Cecil Collins 68

Ithell Colquhoun 75

Merlyn Evans 81

Sam Halle 87

S. W. Hayter 92

Tristram Hillier 99

Humphrey Jennings 104

Conroy Maddox 111

F. E. McWilliam 118

Reuben Mednikoff 125

Oscar Mellor 129

John Melville 134

Henry Moore 139

Paul Nash 148

Gordon Onslow Ford 154

Grace Pailthorpe 160

Roland Penrose 166

Peter Rose Pulham 175

Ceri Richards 180

Edith Rimmington 187

Graham Sutherland 192

Julian Trevelyan 198

John Tunnard 204

Edward Wads Worth 213

Scottie Wilson 221

Further Resources 229

Acknowledgments 236

List of Illustrations 237

Index 243

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