The Surrealist Menagerie

Explore how animals shaped the Surrealist imagination through the eyes of celebrated zoologist and Surrealist artist Desmond Morris in this fascinating exploration of the natural world, his final book.

Join renowned zoologist and Surrealist artist Desmond Morris on an uncanny expedition though the animal kingdom as he explores the many ways that animals prowl, fly and slither through Surrealist art. From Leonora Carrington’s hyenas to Salvador Dalí’s chimeras, Leonor Fini’s cats to Félix Labisse’s molluscs, non-human beings became enduring points of fascination for many Surrealist artists; recurring motifs through which they explored new ideas about psychology, transformation and the marvellous. Taking each creature in turn, Morris unpacks how the natural world shaped Surrealist imagination, combining the trained eye of a scientist with his unique insider’s perspective to provide extraordinary insight into the symbolism behind some of modern art’s wildest works.

More than just a bestiary of the bizarre, The Surrealist Menagerie is a lively and witty celebration of one of the 20th century’s most revolutionary movements – a must-read for lovers of Surrealism, zoology and natural history.

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.