Roland Penrose: The Friendly Surrealist - Hardcover

Born in 1900 into a strict Quaker family, Penrose discovered the Bloomsbury set in Cambridge before embarking upon a life driven by passion and fascination for modern art. He embraced the Suurealism movement and the intensively creative spirit of the times through his friendships with Picasso (of whom he wrote an important biography), Man Ray, Miro, Ernst, and his first wife, the Gascan poet Valentine Bouet. His own paintings, sculptures and collages form an often overlooked contribution to the canon of international Surrealism.

After World War II, Penrose undertook a central role in the development of the British art scene, particulrarly in the foundation of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London. A prolific exhibition organizer, Penrose initiated the First International Surrealist Exhibition in London in 1936, and the first real 'blockbuster' shows of Picasso, Ernst, and Miro at the Tate Gallery in the 1960's.

The Author
Antony Penrose is the author of the acclaimed biography "The Lives of Lee Miller" and Director of the Roland Penrose Collection and the Lee Miller Archive at Farley Farm in Sussex.