What do you think?
Rate this book
Edward Burra
Accompanying Tate Britain’s exhibition, this paperback exhibition book is a new major monograph on the unconventional life and works of English painter, printmaker and draughtsman, Edward Burra (1905–1976).
A contemporary to British Surrealist artist Paul Nash, Edward Burra is best known for his depictions of contemporary urban life and the 1930s Harlem scene. Despite being afflicted with many health conditions throughout his lifetime, he travelled extensively to France, Spain, America and Mexico, their influences appearing across his paintings, his music, and his designs for the ballet, opera, and the theatre.
This exciting catalogue — for the first Tate exhibition of Burra's works since the artist's lifetime in 1973 — offers a close look at over eighty of Burra's works, some of which will be presented for the first time from the Tate archives. It reveals the life of an artist who experienced first-hand many of the most turbulent and catastrophic events of the twentieth century, including the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War, and reflected them in his increasingly surrealist work.
Featuring additional contributions from Rosemary Shirley, Andrew Stephenson, and Catherine Tackley.
Thomas Kennedy is Curator, Modern British Art at Tate Britain.
Eliza Spindel is Assistant Curator, Modern British Art at Tate Britain.
A contemporary to British Surrealist artist Paul Nash, Edward Burra is best known for his depictions of contemporary urban life and the 1930s Harlem scene. Despite being afflicted with many health conditions throughout his lifetime, he travelled extensively to France, Spain, America and Mexico, their influences appearing across his paintings, his music, and his designs for the ballet, opera, and the theatre.
This exciting catalogue — for the first Tate exhibition of Burra's works since the artist's lifetime in 1973 — offers a close look at over eighty of Burra's works, some of which will be presented for the first time from the Tate archives. It reveals the life of an artist who experienced first-hand many of the most turbulent and catastrophic events of the twentieth century, including the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War, and reflected them in his increasingly surrealist work.
Featuring additional contributions from Rosemary Shirley, Andrew Stephenson, and Catherine Tackley.
Thomas Kennedy is Curator, Modern British Art at Tate Britain.
Eliza Spindel is Assistant Curator, Modern British Art at Tate Britain.
224 pages, Paperback
Published June 5, 2025
2 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 6, 2025
I'd never heard of Burra before I walked into his retrospective at the Tate and was immediately captivated. (It was next to the Ithell Colquhoun show, an artist I have some familiarity with (and Burra's contemporary), which was also fascinating.)
He worked mostly in watercolor, but with an unusual approach; the colors in his paintings were so striking and vibrant. The scenes from his travels in France and Spain, and later New York and Boston (he was a big jazz fan and went to visit Harlem Renaissance clubs and venues), were packed with colorful characters and fascinating social activities. A nice article with a couple samples:
https://www.britishartfair.co.uk/brit...
The work after the start of World War II was unsurprisingly much darker, and pushed further into surrealism and abstraction. The late landscapes, mostly of a rapidly modernizing post-war Britain, were often flat and blocky with glowing, less-than-realistic colors, that threatened to morph into abstraction (rather like some of Colquhoun's own fascinating landscapes, in fact). A favorite:
https://www.facebook.com/615556513472...
It's 2025, so I was surprised by the lack of statements in the catalog about Burra's sexuality, just a few circumspect remarks. I was struck by the scenes of what were likely same-sex couples socializing, sailors with tight-fitting uniforms hanging out at bars, the glowing accentuation of butts and musculature, etc etc. Even the demonic figures of Soldiers at Rye (1941):
https://www.tate-images.com/n05377-So...
Similarly, there's really not a lot on his personal life, other than superficial details on who his friends were, where he travelled, his love of music, etc. From the few quotes in the text, he sounded like an intelligent and witty fellow.
He worked mostly in watercolor, but with an unusual approach; the colors in his paintings were so striking and vibrant. The scenes from his travels in France and Spain, and later New York and Boston (he was a big jazz fan and went to visit Harlem Renaissance clubs and venues), were packed with colorful characters and fascinating social activities. A nice article with a couple samples:
https://www.britishartfair.co.uk/brit...
The work after the start of World War II was unsurprisingly much darker, and pushed further into surrealism and abstraction. The late landscapes, mostly of a rapidly modernizing post-war Britain, were often flat and blocky with glowing, less-than-realistic colors, that threatened to morph into abstraction (rather like some of Colquhoun's own fascinating landscapes, in fact). A favorite:
https://www.facebook.com/615556513472...
It's 2025, so I was surprised by the lack of statements in the catalog about Burra's sexuality, just a few circumspect remarks. I was struck by the scenes of what were likely same-sex couples socializing, sailors with tight-fitting uniforms hanging out at bars, the glowing accentuation of butts and musculature, etc etc. Even the demonic figures of Soldiers at Rye (1941):
https://www.tate-images.com/n05377-So...
Similarly, there's really not a lot on his personal life, other than superficial details on who his friends were, where he travelled, his love of music, etc. From the few quotes in the text, he sounded like an intelligent and witty fellow.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews