THE BIOGRAPHY OF ALFRED WALLIS (1855-1942)

ALFRED WALLIS is one of Britain's best-loved artists. He taught himself to paint when he was 70, depicting the ships he once sailed on through great storms at sea, and his other memories of a vanished past.

To truly understand Wallis's paintings it is therefore essential to understand his life. This rigorously researched biography provides a comprehensive and engaging account of Wallis's Cornish ancestry, his impoverished childhood, his family, and his work; both at sea and on shore. His time as an artist is explored in detail, challenging the prevailing narratives surrounding his interactions with the artists, critics and collectors of the 1930s who were so inspired by his paintings.

Featuring meticulous references and high-quality colour reproductions of over a hundred of his works, this beautifully presented book aims to allow readers to appreciate Wallis’s paintings through the lens of the fascinating life he led, and the many challenges he overcame.

HARDCOVER LIMITED EDITION OF 500

• Title: Alfred Wallis Child Pauper To Artistic Luminary

• Author: Matilda Webb

• Publisher: Seadrift Press

• 1st edition April 2025

• ISBN:

  9781838414207

• Language: ‎English

• Hardcover: 550 pages, 240x170mm

• Bibliography

• Index

• Additional lists

• 270 images: 10 photographs featuring Alfred Wallis and 28 of his family, many of which are previously unpublished;106 colour reproductions of Alfred Wallis's paintings; 154 images of Alfred Wallis's world.