John Tunnard : A Life and Catalogue of the Work

John Tunnard studied design at the Royal Academy of Art between 1919 and 1923.

He was employed as a textile designer from 1923 to 1929, producing work which is recorded here in a chapter on his textile designs and decorative art commissions.

He exhibited first at the Royal Academy in 1931 and became a member of the London Group in 1934.

In 1936 he was decisively influenced by Miro, Klee, Masson, Tanguy and others.

His work became partly surrealist, with elements of constructivism reflecting his interest in the technology of space travel.

Many of the paintings are of fantastic constructions in deep space, and betray an interest in entomology, geology and technology.

This retrospective guide to the life and work of John Tunnard traces his development from representational artist to avant-garde pioneer.

It reproduces more than 100 of his known pictures, and features a guide to the coding system which he often added to his signature.