The British Surrealists
... most enjoyable these prove, each pleasingly modest at only a few pages long, a pithy, breezy read accompanied by luscious full-color reproductions.Some are famous, and many others deliciously obscure ... But all here are perfectly captured, dissected, analyzed and made vividly alive ... Every reader will surely likewise regret not having met any of these dazzling characters and only wish to somehow wangle a chance to meet this last, and very far from least, of the original British Surrealists.
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... 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 ... Morris writes with an insider’s understanding as to why so many of the so-called British surrealists felt ambivalent about having their work included in the 1936 exhibition ... 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.
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... a delightful series of chatty 'pen portraits' ... Through effervescent biographical sketches, personal anecdotes, and reproductions of their work, Morris, a notable Surrealist in his own right, reveals how each artist’s background and personality influenced their rejection of 'the strict rules of the established art world' and pursuit of Surrealism as a way of life ... Throughout, 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.
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