Leon Kelly: Beyond Surrealism

With handsome full-page reproductions, this volume provides a new look at the extensive oeuvre of Leon Kelly, a fascinating American artist.

The American artist Leon Kelly (1901-1982) is known for his surrealist work. However, his career, which spanned fifty years, was also influenced by cubism, abstraction, and social realism. Solitary by nature, Leon Kelly lived and worked on his paintings and drawings in seclusion. This enabled him to create a fascinating oeuvre without the influences and restrictions of contemporary fashions.

Today, his works can be found in the collections of renowned American museums such as the Metropolitan Museum, the Whitney Museum, MoMA, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The largest European collection, covering all phases and styles, is owned by Gerd and Helga Plewig. This collection is made accessible in this opulently illustrated volume. The collectors give a personal and sensitive account of their encounters with the artist, and the art expert Uwe Jourdan analyses Leon Kelly’s style and working methods.

Gerd and Helga Plewig are a German art collector couple. They hold one of the largest collections of Leon Kelly works in the world and were long time friends of Leon Kelly. Their collection is also renowned for the most exquisite bark painting collection outside of Australia. Inspired by Country: Bark Paintings from Northern Australia, also published by Hirmer, collects and reproduces these works. Uwe Jourdan is a German art expert and former CEO of Nagel auction.