Roland Penrose
(1900-1984), Painter, art collector; WW2 camoufleur and writer on artSir Roland Algernon Penrose
Sitter in 16 portraits
Artist of 1 portrait
Artist, writer, poet and collector; founder (in 1947) of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). On leaving Cambridge University, where he had studied architecture, Penrose moved to Paris to become a painter. A friend and biographer of Picasso, Man Ray, Max Ernst and Joan Miró, it was Penrose's interest in Surrealism and Catalan art that brought him to Spain at the outset of the Civil War. An ardent supporter of the Republican cause, he became involved in efforts to raise money for anti-fascist forces and campaigned for British backing.
by Roland Penrose
mixed-media on paper, circa 1948
NPG 6388
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