John Melville
A ‘Marvellous’ English Artist - A Personal Journey to Surrealism and Beyond

An exhibition to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his death

8 - 26 February 2006 - Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 6pm, Sunday 12 - 5pm

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Above: Landscape Watercolour and conte chalk on paper, 1937, signed and dated, 38 x 30

Bibliography

1902 Born London on August 25th.

1913 Family move to Birmingham.

1929 Marries Lily Beatrice Samuel.
        Largely self taught, he becomes associated with the Modern Group in Birmingham.

1930 Exhibited with the Modern English Watercolour Society, St George's Gallery, London.

1932 First one-man exhibition at the Crescent Theatre, Birmingham. 
        First one-man exhibition at the Wertheim Gallery, London.
        Becomes associated with the Surrealist Group in London.

1933 Work included in Tenwties Group Exhibition at the Wertheim Gallery.

1934 Supported by the art collector Enoch Lockett, a Birmingham based customs and excise official, who paid him a monthly salary for the right to choose every so often from his works.

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Small Bike Under Large Woman Ink and wash on brown paper, 1935, signed and dated, 24 x 36.5cm

1936 Along with Conroy Maddox he refused to take part in the highly successful International Surrealist Exhibition in London because too many of the artist whose had been included had no claim to be called surrealists.

1938 Joined the Surrealist Group when it took a new turn under the London based Belgian surrealist E L T Mesens. 
Work included in the exhibition Realism and Surrealism at Gloucester.
        Has six pictures banned from a Birmingham Group exhibition at the Birmingham City Art Gallery on the grounds that they risked being ‘detremental to public sensibility’.

1939 Work included in a surrealist exhibition at the London Gallery.
        His patron, Enoch Lockett, dies.

1940 Work included in the important Surrealist Exhibition at the Zwemmer Gallery, London.
        For the duration of the war works for the Ministry of Food in Birmingham.

1942 Along with his brother, the writer Robert Melville and the artists Conroy Maddox, Eileen Agar, Edith Rimmington, Toni del Renzio and Emmy Bridgewater, John was a signatory of the publication Arson which was seen as bold attempt to give a clear focus to Surrealists.
        Along with Maddox, Colquhoun, Agar exhibit in del Renzios 2nd surrealist exhibition. 

1945 Work included in the exhibition Four Birmingham Artists at the Birmingham City Art Gallery.

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Above: Woman on Yellow Chair Oil on board, 1946, signed and dated, 121 x 121cm

1946 ‘Self Portrait’ (1943) presented to the Leicestershire Museum & Art Gallery.

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Landscape of Hope Oil on board, 1947, signed and dated, 61 x 52cm

1949 Work included in The Birmingham Artists Committee Invitation Exhibition. (With Emmy Bridgwater, William Gear, Conroy Maddox, Oscar Mellor, Desmond Morris and others) Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Galleries and then Bilston Corporation Art Gallery. 

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Above: Betty Reading Oil on canvas, 1952, signed and dated, 91 x 132cm

1951 One-man exhibition at the Hanover Gallery, London.

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The Boatyard I Water-colour and conte chalk on paper, circa 1954, signed, 37 x 25cm

1955 Work included in an exhibition of Midland artists at the Zwemmer Gallery, London.
        Work included with the New English Art Club, R.B.A Galleries, London.

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The Boatyard II Water-colour and conte chalk on paper, 1954, signed and dated, 33 x 31cm

1967 Extensive one-man exhibition of some 70 recent works at the R.B.S.A Galleries, Birmingham.

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Above: The Poet Oil on canvas, 1960, signed and dated, 102 x 102cm


1969 One-man exhibition of watercolours and drawings at Birmingham University.

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Above: Burning Tree Watercolour and conte chalk on paper, 1972, signed and dated, 56 x 37cm

1971 Work included in the important Surrealist exhibition at the Hamet Gallery, London.

1974 Work included in an exhibition of West Midland artists at the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham.

1978 Work included in the exhibition Dada and Surrealism Reviewed at the Hayward Gallery, London.

1982 Work included in the exhibition Les Enfants d’Alice, La Peinture Surrealiste 1930 - 1960 en Angleterre at the Galarie 1900-2000, Paris.

1985 Work included in the exhibition A Salute to British Surrealism, 1930 - 1950 which toured The Minories, Colchester; Blond Fine Art, London; The Ferens Hall Art Gallery, Hull.

1986 Work included in the important exhibition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Surrealist Exhibition, British Surrealism 50 Years On, at the Mayor Gallery, London.
        His painting ‘Natural History Museum of the Child’ purchased by Leeds City Art Gallery.
        Retrospective exhibition at Blond Fine Art, London.
        Work included in in the touring exhibition Surrealism in Britain.
        Work included in the exhibition Angels of Anarchy and Machines for Making Clouds at Leeds City Art Gallery.

1986 Dies in Birmingham on December 8th

1987 Memorial exhibition at Gothick Dream Fine Art.

1996 Retrospective exhibition at the Westbourne Gallery 62, London.

1999 Work included in the exhibition From The Unconscious To The Irreverent, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

2000 Work included in the exhibition "Surrealism in Birmingham", Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery 

2006 Memorial exhibition John Melville: A ‘Marvellous’ English Artist, A Personal Journey to Surrealism and Beyond, The Millinery Works Gallery, London.

Illustrated above: Woman Walking Downstairs Oil on board, circa 1960, signed, 90 x 120cm

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