Roland Penrose: The Life of a Surrealist
James King
Abstract
As an artist, an impresario, a biographer and a collector, Roland Penrose (1900–1984) is a key figure in the study of modern art in England. This book explores the intricacies of Penrose's life and work, tracing the profound effects of his upbringing in a Quaker household on his values, the early influence of Roger Fry, and his friendships with Max Ernst, André Breton and other surrealists, especially Paul Éluard. Penrose's conflicted relationship with Pablo Picasso, his tireless promotion of surrealism and the production of his own surrealist art are also discussed. Penrose's complex professi ... More
As an artist, an impresario, a biographer and a collector, Roland Penrose (1900–1984) is a key figure in the study of modern art in England. This book explores the intricacies of Penrose's life and work, tracing the profound effects of his upbringing in a Quaker household on his values, the early influence of Roger Fry, and his friendships with Max Ernst, André Breton and other surrealists, especially Paul Éluard. Penrose's conflicted relationship with Pablo Picasso, his tireless promotion of surrealism and the production of his own surrealist art are also discussed. Penrose's complex professional and personal lives are handled with a deftness of touch, including his pacifism, his work as a biographer and art historian, as well as his unconventionality, especially in his two marriages — including that to Lee Miller — and his numerous love affairs.
Keywords:
Roland Penrose,
modern art,
Roger Fry,
Quakerism,
Max Ernst,
André Breton,
Paul Éluard,
surrealism,
surrealist art,
pacifism
Bibliographic Information
Print publication date: 2016 |
Print ISBN-13: 9781474414500 |
Published to Edinburgh Scholarship Online: January 2018 |
DOI:10.3366/edinburgh/9781474414500.001.0001 |