The Surrealist Menagerie: Strange Beasts & Fantastic Visions - Hardcover

by Desmond Morris (Author)

Authored by renowned zoologist Desmond Morris--the last surviving member of the surrealist movement--The Surrealist Menagerie explores the many ways that animals have been represented in surrealist art. Creature by creature, Morris plots an uncanny and entertaining expedition through the animal kingdom as reinterpreted by the likes of Max Ernst, René Magritte, Dorothea Tanning, and Remedios Varo. Combining the trained eye of a scientist and a unique insider's perspective, Morris provides extraordinary insights into the significance and symbolism of specific life-forms in some of the movement's most imaginative works.

From Leonora Carrington's hyenas to Salvador Dalí's chimeras, Leonor Fini's cats to Félix Labisse's mollusks, nonhuman creatures became enduring points of fascination for many surrealist artists. These recurring motifs were used to explore ideas of mutability, psychology, the marvelous, the natural, and the uncanny.

More than a bestiary of the bizarre, The Surrealist Menagerie is a celebration of one of modern art's most revolutionary movements--a must-read for lovers of surrealism, zoology, and the beautiful strangeness of the natural world.

Front Jacket

Join renowned zoologist and surrealist artist Desmond Morris as he explores the many ways that animals prowl, fly, and slither through surrealist art. From Leonora Carrington's hyenas to Salvador Dal?'s chimeras, Leonor Fini's cats to F?lix Labisse's molluscs, nonhuman creatures became enduring points of fascination for many surrealist artists--recurring motifs through which they explored new ideas about psychology, transformation, and the marvelous. Taking each creature in turn, Morris plots an uncanny and entertaining expedition through the animal kingdom as reinterpreted by the likes of Max Ernst, Ren? Magritte, Dorothea Tanning, and Remedios Varo. Combining the trained eye of a scientist with his unique insider's perspective, he provides extraordinary insight into the symbolism behind some of modern art's wildest works.

More than just a bestiary of the bizarre, The Surrealist Menagerie is a lively and witty celebration of one of the twentieth century's most revolutionary movements--a must-read for lovers of surrealism, zoology, and natural history.