About this lot
Description
§ Desmond Morris FLS hon. caus (British 1928-)
The Suitor's Friend
signed with initials and dated 07 (lower right); further signed, titled and dated to the reverse
watercolour and ink
28.5 x 20cm
Footnote:
An internationally renowned zoologist, ethologist, and author of more than 60 scientific texts, Desmond Morris has also received widespread acclaim for his work as a surrealist artist. Hugely prolific in both his scientific and artistic pursuits, Morris has produced in excess of 3000 surrealist works and has exhibited alongside some of the most influential figures in 20th century art, including Joan Miró.
The grandson of an enthusiastic naturalist, Morris developed a fascination with the natural world, both artistically and scientifically, from an early age. Whilst seemingly divergent from one another, as Morris grew, these interests flourished in tandem, as Morris continued to paint and exhibit during his studies in zoology at Birmingham and Oxford universities. After completing his studies, Morris was appointed as the Head of the Granada TV and Film Unit for the Zoological Society of London, where he wrote and hosted hundreds of television programmes on animal behaviour.
As in the present lot, amoebic forms mutating into barely legible human figures dominate Morris’ surrealist works and no doubt echo the central thesis of his seminal text, The Naked Ape (1967), which posited that the boundary separating the human from the animal is far more fragile than we would ever care to admit.
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