Permission kindly given by the artist's daughter
In Storage
Conroy Maddox (1912-2005)
Le Champs Magnetiques
Maddox discovered Surrealism in 1935. He refused to exhibit in the 1936 London exhibition as he felt many of the artists chosen had no understanding of the movement and had been turned into Surrealists 'overnight' by the organisers. After spending time with the French Surrealists in Paris he joined the British group in 1938. He maintained a lifelong commitment to Surrealism.
The title of this work is taken from a Surrealist book by Andre Breton and Philippe Soupault. The authors used automatic writing as a technique to draw on their unconscious minds. Maddox used collage for the same purpose, separating images and objects from their original functions. He carried this technique into paintings that are populated by incongruous groups of objects that defy rational interpretation.
← Back to the Collection| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Date | 1981 |
| Dimensions | 610mm x 860mm |
| Acquisition Number | SOTAG : 2009/1 |
| Credit Line | Purchased in 2009 through the Orris Bequest Fund with a grant from the Friends of Southampton Museums and Galleries |