Art students at Wiltshire College & University Centre’s Trowbridge campus were captivated by a talk from Antony Penrose, son of the legendary surrealist and war photographer Lee Miller.
Antony, an acclaimed author, photographer, curator and filmmaker, visited as part of the college’s Young Arts Lecture series, delivered in partnership with The Arts Society North Wiltshire.
He outlined his mother’s remarkable life, from her beginnings as a Vogue fashion model in 1920s New York to her groundbreaking work as a surrealist photographer in Paris and London. He also described her long relationship with pioneering artist Man Ray, and the creative partnership that helped shape her early photographic career.
Antony explained how Miller went on to become a trailblazing female combat photographer during the Second World War, despite initially being denied accreditation by the British authorities. After persuading Vogue in New York to commission her, she spent the defining years of the conflict close behind Allied troops as they pushed through France and Germany.
Students heard how she documented fierce fighting, became one of the first photographers to record the horrors of Dachau and Buchenwald, and was famously pictured in Hitler’s bathtub shortly after the liberation of Munich. Antony described how her boots, still caked in dirt from Dachau, were deliberately placed on the pristine bathmat as a symbolic act.
Much of this story was unknown to him until after her death in 1977. He told students that the trauma of what she had witnessed contributed to her struggles with PTSD and alcoholism, and that their relationship had been difficult. It was only after discovering boxes of 60,000 prints, negatives, manuscripts and notes that he fully understood her achievements.
“Mum never spoke about the war or what she had seen, so it was a revelation,” he said.
Using Tech Trowbridge’s cinema-style screen, Antony shared family photos featuring Picasso, Man Ray and Joan Miró, as well as many examples of his mother’s work. He spoke about her fascination with finding beauty in everyday scenes, saying, “She loved finding the marvellous in the ordinary.”
The room fell silent as he showed her wartime images, including those taken at Dachau. “They always make an impact and still sometimes I struggle to hold it together when I look at them,” he said.
Students and Arts Society members responded with enthusiastic applause, and Antony was soon surrounded by students keen to discuss his mother’s legacy. Afterwards he said he was pleased by their response and impressed with the college’s creative facilities.
Conveying his mother’s passion to young people is a key motivation behind the more than 50 lectures he gives each year. He also played a significant role in the recent film Lee, starring Kate Winslet and based on his book The Lives of Lee Miller.
“I think it’s probably more relevant to younger people,” he said. “If you have the passion, integrity and determination, you can make a career out of doing what you most want to do.”
Ann Marie Cooper from The Arts Society North Wiltshire said the partnership with the college aims to inspire students as they consider future careers. “To offer additional opportunities so that they can not only learn more to supplement their course, but also be inspired by people who have made their living from something artistic,” she said.
Owain Milford, Head of Faculty for Creative Arts, Media & Performance, was delighted with the impact of the event. He said, “I was pleased to see so many of them talking about their surrealist work with Antony afterwards. They would never have had that opportunity without this partnership.”
Owain will be taking students to the Lee Miller exhibition currently running at Tate Britain in the New Year.
For more information about arts courses at WCUC, visit www.wiltshire.ac.uk.
