Conroy Maddox (27 December 1912 – 14 January 2005) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
surrealist
Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...
painter, collagist, writer and lecturer; and a key figure in the
Birmingham Surrealist movement.
[Morris, Desmond (2018), ''The Lives of the Surrealists''.]
He was born in
Ledbury,
Herefordshire
Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...
, and discovered
surrealism in 1935, spending the rest of his life exploring its potential through his paintings,
collages, photographs, objects and texts. Inspired by artists such as
Max Ernst
Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealis ...
,
Óscar Domínguez
Óscar M. Domínguez (3 January 1906 – 31 December 1957) was a Spanish surrealist painter.
Biography
Born in San Cristóbal de La Laguna on the island of Tenerife, on the Canary Islands Spain, Domínguez spent his youth with his grandmother ...
and
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...
, he rejected academic painting in favour of techniques that expressed the surrealistic spirit of rebellion. Maddox officially joined the
British Surrealist Group
The British Surrealist Group was involved in the organisation of the International Surrealist Exhibition in London in 1936.
The ''London Bulletin'' was published by the Surrealist Group in England, according to the June 1940 edition (nos. 18-19- ...
in 1938.
His creations soon began not only to challenge the conventional view of reality, but also to push pictorial expression to the limits of consciousness. He was even implicated in both scandal and controversy when, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
,
Scotland Yard suspected him of fifth columnist sabotage and mounted a surprise raid to seize works thought to contain coded messages to the enemy.
Following the war he moved to
Balsall Heath
Balsall Heath is an inner-city area of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It has a diverse cultural mix of people and is the location of the Balti Triangle.
History
Balsall Heath was agricultural land between Moseley village and the city of ...
and began his most active period.
[
]
In 1948, he married Nan Burton. They had a daughter and a son together, but had the marriage dissolved in 1955. He died in London, aged 92.
Exhibitions
* 1938 - Wertheim Gallery, London
* 1940 - London Gallery, London
* 1940 - ''Surrealism Today'', Zwemmer Gallery, London
* 1940 - Artists International Association
* 1945 -
Leicester Galleries
Leicester Galleries was an art gallery located in London from 1902 to 1977 that held exhibitions of modern British, French and international artists' works. Its name was acquired in 1984 by Peter Nahum, who operates "Peter Nahum at the Leiceste ...
, London
* 1947 - International Surrealist Exhibition, Paris
* 1949 -
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists or RBSA is an art society, based in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England, where it owns and operates an art gallery, the RBSA Gallery, on Brook Street, just off St Paul's Square. It is both a ...
Galleries
* 1949 - Bilston Corporation Art Gallery
* 1951 - Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Galleries
* 1963 - Grabowski Gallery, London
* 1967 - Zwemmer Gallery, London
* 1967 - Exeter City Gallery, Exeter
* 1973 - Hamet Gallery, London
* 1976 - ''Gouaches of the 1940s'', Fischer Fine Art, London
* 1978 - ''Surrealism Unlimited'',
Camden Arts Centre
Camden Art Centre (formerly known as Hampstead Arts Centre until 1967 and Camden Arts Centre until 2020) is a contemporary art gallery in the London Borough of Camden, England that hosts temporary exhibitions and educational outreach projects. T ...
, London
* 1982 - ''Peinture Surrealiste en Angleterre 1930-1960'', Galerie 1900–2000, Paris
* 1994 - ''Paintings and Objects'', Gallery M, London
* 2000 - ''Surrealism in Birmingham 1935-1955'', Birmingham Museums
* 2001 - ''Conroy Maddox. A Surrealist Odyssey'', Belgrave Gallery, London
Bibliography
* ''Free Unions - Unions Libre'' - edited by
Simon Watson Taylor and with cover by Conroy Maddox (1946)
* ''Dali'' by Conroy Maddox (
Taschen
Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen.
History
The company began as Taschen Comics, ...
)
References
* ''The Scandalous Eye: The Surrealism of Conroy Maddox'' by
Silvano Levy, Liverpool University Press, 2003, 292 pages, .
External links
Obituaryfrom ''The Independent'' newspaper (UK) by Peter Davies, 15 January 2005
from ''The Times'' newspaper (UK), 17 January 2005
from the ''Daily Telegraph'' newspaper (UK), 21 January 2005
Conroy Maddoxat the
Tate Gallery
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
InterviewNational Life Stories
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maddox, Conroy
1912 births
2005 deaths
20th-century English painters
English male painters
21st-century English painters
British surrealist artists
People from Ledbury
20th-century English male artists
21st-century English male artists