Malcolm Morley: A Studio Visit

Born in London in 1931, Malcolm Morley spent much of his childhood enduring the Nazi Blitz, periods of homelessness, and a brief stint in England's infamous Wormwood Scrubs prison for theft. It was there that Morley discovered art, eventually emigrated to America, and after a chance meeting with artist Barnett Newman, began painting in an Abstract Expressionist style -- the dominant movement of the 50's. Morley would soon move on to Superrealism (or Photorealism) and Neo-Expressionism (he is often cited as being the progenitor of both). He has since occasionally disowned and then re-adopted the styles, often attributing it to a fear of growing stale or being copied. During the 70's and 80's Morley gained a reputation as an outsider and an "enfant terrible" of the art world, once famously nailing a water pistol to one of his own paintings that he had sold and thought misused. Now in his seventies, Malcolm Morley continues to create relevant --and vibrant -- artwork from his studio on Long Island, a converted church that houses this ever evolving master painter.