101 Surrealists

A concise compendium of the lives and work of the 101 most significant Surrealists by one of the last surviving members of the movement, bestselling author and artist Desmond Morris, who knew several of the key participants personally.

2024 marks the centenary of Surrealism, one of the most influential artistic movements of the modern era. In 1924, André Breton wrote the Surrealist Manifesto, a call to arms which established Surrealism as a literary and artistic movement. Rather than attempting to analyse the work of the Surrealists, bestselling author and Surrealist artist Desmond Morris focuses on them 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?

Featuring 101 artists, from the famous – Duchamp, Dali, Magritte, Miro, Carrington, Kahlo, Picabia, Ernst and others – to the neglected – Mesens, Rimmington, Sage, Fini, Bellmer, Colquhoun and Gonzalez – this book draws on the author’s personal knowledge of the Surrealists, capturing in concise form their life histories, idiosyncrasies and often-complex love lives. Surrealism was both spectacular and international, shaped by the darkest, most irrational workings of the unconscious. Shocking, witty and always entertaining, Morris's potted summaries and punchy anecdotes illuminate striking variations in artistic approach to the Surrealist philosophy, both in the artists’ works and lives.

A complement to Morris's earlier biographical volumes, 101 Surrealists encapsulates each artist in new and abridged texts that convey with immediacy the impact and significance of each of the 101 artists featured.

Review

'A fittingly exuberant tribute to a singular art movement' - Kirkus Reviews

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 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 The Lives of the Surrealists was published in 2018 by Thames & Hudson, followed by Postures: Body Language in Art (2019) and The British Surrealists (2022).