The British Surrealists

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

Fêted for their idiosyncratic and imaginative works, the surrealists marked a pivotal moment in the history of modern art in Britain. Many banded together to form the British Surrealist Group, while others carved their own, independent paths.

Here, bestselling 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 and complex love lives of this wild and curious set of artists. From the unpredictability of Francis Bacon to the rebelliousness of Leonora Carrington, from the beguiling Eileen Agar to the ‘brilliant’ Ceri Richards, Morris brings his subjects’ foibles and frailties to the fore.

His vivid account is laced with his inimitable wit, and profusely illustrated by images of the artists and their artworks. Featuring thirty-four surrealists - some famous, some 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.
Extent: 248 pp
Format: Hardback
Illustrations: 107
Publication date: 2022-03-17
Size: 24.0 x 16.5 cm
ISBN: 9780500024881
MARION ADNAMS
EILEEN AGAR
JOHN ARMSTRONG
FRANCIS BACON
JOHN BANTING
JOHN SELBY BIGGE
EMMY BRIDGWATER
EDWARD BURRA
LEONORA CARRINGTON
CECIL COLLINS
ITHELL COLQUHOUN
MERLYN EVANS
SAM HAILE
S. W. HAYTER
TRISTRAM HILLIER
HUMPHREY JENNINGS
CONROY MADDOX
F. E. MCWILLIAM
REUBEN MEDNIKOFF
OSCAR MELLOR
JOHN MELVILLE
HENRY MOORE
PAUL NASH
GORDON ONSLOW FORD
GRACE PAILTHORPE
ROLAND PENROSE
PETER ROSE PULHAM
CERI RICHARDS
EDITH RIMMINGTON
GRAHAM SUTHERLAND
JULIAN TREVELYAN
JOHN TUNNARD
EDWARD WADSWORTH
SCOTTIE WILSON
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Press Reviews

Fizzingly written and sumptuously illustrated … What makes this biographical dictionary of British painters and sculptors so readable is that Morris is writing about people he once knew very well indeed … this beautifully illustrated book – each artist’s bio is accompanied by two or three paintings – is a reminder of the extraordinary work of such Britons as Carrington and Agar, whose reputations as surrealists of the first order, able to stand comparison with Duchamp, de Chirico and the rest, have been soaring in recent years
Sunday Times

Delightfully gossipy … a hoot
Daily Telegraph

Effervescent ... Morris’s irreverent tone is balanced by serious and insightful details, making each profile feel at once indulgent and informative. Bringing his own knowledge to bear on his fascinating subjects, Morris offers a sweeping survey that’s surprisingly intimate
Publishers Weekly


About the Author

Desmond Morris (1928–2026) was a renowned zoologist and the last member of the surrealist movement. After earning his doctorate at Oxford, he worked for Granada Television and the BBC’s natural history unit, presenting over 500 TV programmes. His bestselling book, The Naked Ape, has sold over 20 million copies and ranks among the top 100 bestselling titles of all time. Morris was also the author of The Lives of the Surrealists (2018), Postures: Body Language in Art (2019), The British Surrealists (2022) and 101 Surrealists (2024), all published by Thames & Hudson.

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