Malcolm Morley

Malcolm Morley (1931–2018) was a British-American artist whose work transitioned from photorealism to a more expressionist style, reflecting his fascination with visual storytelling and emotional resonance. Morley gained early fame for his meticulous, hyperrealistic paintings based on photographs but later embraced a freer, more dynamic approach to artmaking. In 1984, he was awarded the first-ever Turner Prize, cementing his reputation as a trailblazer in contemporary art. Morley’s work has been the subject of retrospectives at major institutions such as the Tate Gallery in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His art is included in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum and the Centre Pompidou, highlighting his enduring influence on modern and contemporary art.