
Malcolm Morley
Fallacies of Enoch 1, 1983-1984

Two figures on camelback swirl into the desert sand in this print by Malcolm Morely (British, 1931 …

British artist Malcolm Morley is best known for his hyperreal paintings and sculptures that pull subject matter from Old Masters, family portraits, current events, travel brochures, and other visual detritus. Using a grid system to transfer the images onto canvas—reminiscent of the Minimalist grid—he also transfers the borders, tears, and folds in order to foreground the objecthood of the image. Of his attempt to move beyond the strictures of photorealism, Morley says, “I make a handmade painting from a readymade.” Dissatisfied with merely reproducing the image, he draws from the vivid colors of Pop Art and collage techniques to further draw attention to the image as an object.


Two figures on camelback swirl into the desert sand in this print by Malcolm Morely (British, 1931 - 2018). In the 1970s, Morley's work began to be more expressionist, and he began to incorporate collage into his work. Many of his paintings from the mid-70s, such as Train Wreck (1975), depict …

British artist Malcolm Morley is best known for his hyperreal paintings and sculptures that pull subject matter from Old Masters, family portraits, current events, travel brochures, and other visual detritus. Using a grid system to transfer the images onto canvas—reminiscent of the Minimalist grid—he also transfers the borders, tears, and folds in order to foreground the objecthood of the image. Of his attempt to move beyond the strictures of photorealism, Morley says, “I make a handmade painting from a readymade.” Dissatisfied with merely reproducing the image, he draws from the vivid colors of Pop Art and collage techniques to further draw attention to the image as an object.