Overview

No other art movement in history has contained two artists as different as Magritte and Miró. This is because Surrealism was not in origin an art movement, but a philosophical strategy. It was a way of life - a rebellion against the establishment that had given the world the hideous slaughter of the First World War. Instead of trying to analyse the work of the Surrealists, bestselling author and Surrealist artist Desmond Morris concentrates on them as people - as remarkable individuals. What were their personalities, their predilections, their character strengths and flaws? Did they enjoy a social life or were they loners? Were they bold eccentrics or timid recluses? Drawing on the author's personal knowledge of the Surrealists, this book captures their life histories, idiosyncrasies and often-complex love lives, vividly illustrated with images of the artists and their works. The arts of Surrealism were both spectacular and international, shaped by the darkest, most irrational workings of the unconscious. Shocking, witty and always entertaining, Morris' tales illuminate the striking variation in approaches to the Surrealist philosophy, both in the artist's work and in their lives.

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9780500021361

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Reviews

An ideal introduction to the rebellious art movement... Like a modern-day Giorgio Vasari, Morris creates an intimate and unique you-are-there assessment of what made the surrealists tick. Readers will be thankful that Morris, now 89, wrote this very personal take on his fellow surrealists. He offers a revealing book filled with shocking anecdotes and outrageous quotations about 32 of them, from the renowned to the obscure. The book also includes stunning photographs of the artists and their work. Writing as a personal friend and acquaintance of many of the Surrealists, [Morris] divulges their working habits, personality quirks, and sexual conquests with a disarming familiarity. Each of these biographical entries is thoughtfully accompanied by a lesser-known work of art by each artist, along with photographs of the artists as they appeared in their most active years. Alternatively funny, ribald, and at times genuinely moving, Morris's fittingly off-kilter tribute to the Surrealist movement itself and the eclectic men and women who carried its torch is a true joy. This compendium profiles thirty-five artists closely associated with the movement [and] features forgotten figures as well as celebrated artists such as Joan Mir�, with whom Morris once exhibited. Highly recommended... In separate chapters, each of which covers one of the artists, Morris draws on his knowledge of individual idiosyncrasies, life histories, love lives, personalities, predilections, character traits, etc. [and] recounts details that are extraordinary, entertaining, shocking, and witty. Engaging, informative...a series of brief, chatty biographies of 32 artists, ranging from superstars such as Breton, Dal�, Magritte and Mir� to obscure figures such as Wilhelm Freddie and Conroy Maddox [that's] both witty and systematic... Since Mr. Morris knew many of his subjects, there's a wealth of gossipy anecdote leavening the facts, although he remains admirably evenhanded... it's entertaining and can painlessly fill in gaps about a significant part of 20th-century modernism.

An ideal introduction to the rebellious art movement... Like a modern-day Giorgio Vasari, Morris creates an intimate and unique you-are-there assessment of what made the surrealists tick. Readers will be thankful that Morris, now 89, wrote this very personal take on his fellow surrealists. He offers a revealing book filled with shocking anecdotes and outrageous quotations about 32 of them, from the renowned to the obscure. The book also includes stunning photographs of the artists and their work. Writing as a personal friend and acquaintance of many of the Surrealists, [Morris] divulges their working habits, personality quirks, and sexual conquests with a disarming familiarity. Each of these biographical entries is thoughtfully accompanied by a lesser-known work of art by each artist, along with photographs of the artists as they appeared in their most active years. Alternatively funny, ribald, and at times genuinely moving, Morris's fittingly off-kilter tribute to the Surrealist movement itself and the eclectic men and women who carried its torch is a true joy. This compendium profiles thirty-five artists closely associated with the movement [and] features forgotten figures as well as celebrated artists such as Joan Mir , with whom Morris once exhibited. Highly recommended... In separate chapters, each of which covers one of the artists, Morris draws on his knowledge of individual idiosyncrasies, life histories, love lives, personalities, predilections, character traits, etc. [and] recounts details that are extraordinary, entertaining, shocking, and witty. Engaging, informative...a series of brief, chatty biographies of 32 artists, ranging from superstars such as Breton, Dal , Magritte and Mir to obscure figures such as Wilhelm Freddie and Conroy Maddox [that's] both witty and systematic... Since Mr. Morris knew many of his subjects, there's a wealth of gossipy anecdote leavening the facts, although he remains admirably evenhanded... it's entertaining and can painlessly fill in gaps about a significant part of 20th-century modernism.

An ideal introduction to the rebellious art movement... Like a modern-day Giorgio Vasari, Morris creates an intimate and unique you-are-there assessment of what made the surrealists tick. Readers will be thankful that Morris, now 89, wrote this very personal take on his fellow surrealists. He offers a revealing book filled with shocking anecdotes and outrageous quotations about 32 of them, from the renowned to the obscure. The book also includes stunning photographs of the artists and their work.

Author Information

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 has also written several books, one of which – The Naked Ape – ranks among the top 100 bestsellers of all time, with over 12 million copies sold. His title The Lives of the Surrealists was published in 2018 by Thames & Hudson

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