Desmond Morris

Arts & Photography

Levy, Silvano

History & Criticism

Barrie Jenkins

Conroy Maddox discovered surrealism by chance in 1935 and spent the rest of his life exploring its potential through his paintings, collages, photographs, objects and texts. Inspired by artists such as Max Ernst, Oscar Dominguez and Salvador Dalí, he rejected academic painting in favor of techniques that expressed the surrealist spirit of rebellion. Maddox went on to become a rebel in every sense – the defiance that had initially turned towards aesthetics became a broader challenge against morality, religion and the establishment as a whole. Maddox’s colorful exploits and outstanding artistic production undoubtedly made him Britain’s most beguiling, provocative and vigorous exponent of surrealism. This book maps out his place in the history of the surrealist movement and reveals the intellectual complexity as well as the poignant charm of an oeuvre that spans eight decades.

The Scandalous Eye: The Surrealism of Conroy Maddox

Liverpool University Press

Original and idealistic, Mary Wykeham (1909-1996), to date neglected in the histories of surrealism, is brought centre stage in this first study of her remarkable pursuit of art - a creative impulse that witnessed her crossing Europe and finding success as a painter before embarking on a long struggle to reconcile her commitment to art with a religious calling.Detailing Mary Wykeham' s biography, analysing her work, and sketching the development of her political and religious thought, Silvano Levy' s meticulous research reveals a surrealist oeuvre that is both innovative and poignant. A period of interest in Taoist spirituality resulted in mesmerising and unfathomable works. In a sudden move that shocked the artist' s avant-garde circle, Mary became a nun and was forced by her superiors to give up her art. Wrestling with her creative instincts, she eventually defied the prohibitions placed on her and resumed painting until her death. Fixing a fascinating artist firmly within the story of modern art, this ground-breaking publication brings to light the work of a little-known figure who demands to be brought out of the shadows.

Mary Wykeham: Surrealist out of the Shadows

Lund Humphries

Desmond Morris: Analytical Catalogue Raisonne 2000-2012

Sansom & Co

In a groundbreaking analysis, Silvano Levy unravels the hidden structures of Magritte's paintings. Decoding Magritte puts forward the theory that aphasia, the injury-induced inability to produce and comprehend language, is the elusive key to an underlying artistic mechanism. Magritte had often hinted that there was a covert rationale behind his production, but never gave explanations. Drawing on his conversations with the artist's widow and key members of the Belgian surrealist group, Silvano Levy deciphers Magritte's oeuvre in a meticulous study that rests on linguistics and structuralist theory. This investigation first probes Magritte's early career within the avant-garde, Cubism and Dada, and then systematically sets out the artist s pictorial deconstruction of the pictorial schema. The inclusion of previously unavailable source material in the form of photographs and substantial interviews with Georgette Magritte, Louis Scutenaire, Irène Hamoir, Marcel Mariën and George Melly provides valuable primary resources, as well as shedding additional light on the 'Magritte code'. Contents: Acknowledgements; To Decode or not to Decode; Rebel in the Making 1919-1924; Rebel Artist; Pure Art and Abstraction; Vile Paintings; Dada; Cubism; The Spark; The Rebellion 1924-1930; Unlocking the Code; Crumbling Space; Shattering Anatomy; Elastic Form; Fragmentation; Pictorial Primaries; Vague Things; Pictorial Negation; Beyond Representation; Decoding; Interviews by Silvano Levy; Georgette Magritte; Louis Scutenaire &amp; Irène Hamoir; Marcel Mariën, first interview; Marcel Mariën, second interview; George Melly; René Magritte, letter to Pierre-Louis Flouquet; Illustrations; Bibliography; Index.

Decoding Magritte

Sansom

Desmond Morris: Analytical Catalogue Raisonne

DESMOND MORRIS

Petraco-Pandora N.V.

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Books by Levy, Silvano