The Lives of the Surrealists

An ideal introduction to the rebellious art movement... Like a modern-day Giorgio Vasari, Morris creates an intimate and unique you-are-there assessment of what made the surrealists tick. Readers will be thankful that Morris, now 89, wrote this very personal take on his fellow surrealists. He offers a revealing book filled with shocking anecdotes and outrageous quotations about 32 of them, from the renowned to the obscure. The book also includes stunning photographs of the artists and their work. Writing as a personal friend and acquaintance of many of the Surrealists, [Morris] divulges their working habits, personality quirks, and sexual conquests with a disarming familiarity. Each of these biographical entries is thoughtfully accompanied by a lesser-known work of art by each artist, along with photographs of the artists as they appeared in their most active years. Alternatively funny, ribald, and at times genuinely moving, Morris's fittingly off-kilter tribute to the Surrealist movement itself and the eclectic men and women who carried its torch is a true joy. This compendium profiles thirty-five artists closely associated with the movement [and] features forgotten figures as well as celebrated artists such as Joan Mir , with whom Morris once exhibited. Highly recommended... In separate chapters, each of which covers one of the artists, Morris draws on his knowledge of individual idiosyncrasies, life histories, love lives, personalities, predilections, character traits, etc. [and] recounts details that are extraordinary, entertaining, shocking, and witty. Engaging, informative...a series of brief, chatty biographies of 32 artists, ranging from superstars such as Breton, Dal , Magritte and Mir to obscure figures such as Wilhelm Freddie and Conroy Maddox [that's] both witty and systematic... Since Mr. Morris knew many of his subjects, there's a wealth of gossipy anecdote leavening the facts, although he remains admirably evenhanded... it's entertaining and can painlessly fill in gaps about a significant part of 20th-century modernism.