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

Obituary
from ''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 Maddox
at 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 ...

Interview
National 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