Roland Penrose : The Life of a Surrealist

James King explores the intricacies of Penrose’s life and work, his complex professional and personal lives, his work as a biographer and as an art historian.

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. Acclaimed biographer James King 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.