Maurice de Sausmarez Archive Collection Guide
Introduction
Maurice de Sausmarez (1915–1969) was an artist, writer and art educator. He played an important role in the establishment of the Department of Fine Art at the University of Leeds in addition to teaching positions at Leeds College of Art, Hornsey College of Art, Byam Shaw School of Drawing and Painting and other institutions.
De Sausmarez was part of an influential group of artists and educators including Victor Pasmore, William Coldstream, Robin Darwin, Carel Weight, Hubert Dalwood, Terry Frost, Harry Thubron, Tom Hudson and Bridget Riley. He was one of the key figures in the Basic Design movement and his influential book Basic Design: The Dynamics of Visual Form (1964) reached a wide international audience and remains in print today.
De Sausmarez was also a skilled painter, illustrator and designer. His later work was dominated by landscapes, many of which were painted during holidays to France and Italy, however his earlier career included freelance design work, book illustration and portrait commissions. Several of his paintings are held within the University's Art Collection, including his painting of Whitelocks public house in Leeds.
About the Archive
The Maurice de Sausmarez Archive was acquired by the University from Maurice’s widow Jane de Sausmarez in 2019, with support from the Bridget Riley Art Foundation.
The collection documents de Sausmarez’s life and work as an artist, writer and influential art educator as well as his involvement with groups such as the Artists’ Internatinal Association, the Royal Academy of Arts, the New English Art Club and the London Group
In addition to de Sausmarez’s artworks, writings and career, further research potential includes the development of art education and the Basic Design movement, the early history of the Department of Fine Art at the University of Leeds, twentieth-century exhibition histories and the activities of the Artists’ International Association and similar groups during World War Two.
The Archive is arranged into the following series:
Personalia
This series contains material documenting de Sausmarez’s life and includes family history and education, personal effects and biography, financial records and posthumous recognition. Material relating to de Sausmarez’s health can be found in this series as well as documentation of his unsuccessful application to be registered as a conscientious objector during World War Two.
Art education and Teaching
De Sausmarez had an extensive career in art education including working as a tutor and lecturer in Fine Art at various institutions. This series contains material relating to this work including practical, theoretical and research material and lecture notes. The series also includes substantial material from de Sausmarez’s time teaching at Leeds College of Art and the University of Leeds.
Correspondence
This series contains correspondence received by Maurice de Sausmarez and, occasionally, copies of his replies. Wherever possible the contents of this series are arranged alphabetically by the sender’s surname. Significant figures included in this series include Quentin Bell, Kenneth Clark, William Coldstream, Hubert Dalwood, Terry Frost, Naum Gabo, Percy Horton, David Kwok, John Piper, James Kirkup and Ezra Pound.
Writing
This series contains material related to de Sausmarez’s published writing. It includes drafts and published forms of articles, broadcasts, essays and reviews as well as research notes, proofs and correspondence related to his influential book Basic Design: The Dynamics of Visual Form.
Ben Nicholson
In 1969 de Sausmarez edited a special issue of Studio International dedicated to artist Ben Nicholson. This series contains material related to the publication including correspondence with contributors such as Naum Gabo and Barbara Hepworth, as well as Nicholson himself.
Bridget Riley
This series contains material related to de Sausmarez’s relationship with the artist Bridget Riley, from their meeting in 1958 to his death in 1969. Included are exhibition catalogues, press cuttings and items associated with the painting trip to Italy the pair took in 1960. Also included are manuscripts, notes and correspondence for the monograph de Sausmarez wrote about Riley, which was published posthumously in 1970 by Studio Vista.
Artists’ International Association
This series holds material covering de Sausmarez’s involvement with the Artists’ International Association from exhibiting with them in 1935, throughout World War Two and beyond. He was a member of AIA before later being elected as Chairman of the Central Committee. Included are press cuttings, exhibition catalogues, correspondence and administrative documents.
Royal Academy of Arts
De Sausmarez was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1964 and had works selected for the RA Summer Exhibition throughout his career. The material in this series documents exhibitions, publications, meetings and prizes. The Royal Academy of Arts Archive holds complimentary materials including correspondence and de Sausmarez's member's file.
Exhibitions
Organised according to de Sausmarez’s participation as either artist, writer or organiser, this series includes exhibition press cuttings, promotional material, notes and correspondence. The material dates from de Sausmarez’s Royal College of Art student days to posthumous exhibitions. A further sub-series contains a small amount of material relating to exhibitions de Sausmarez did not participate in directly.
Recordings
This series contains a small number of recordings of interviews and broadcasts either by or relating to de Sausmarez, including interviews he conducted with fellow artists Naum Gabo, Henry Moore and Bridget Riley.
Photographs
This series contains black and white photographs and negatives of subjects including de Sausmarez’s time at art school, portraits of himself, friends and family, his art students and their work, and his travels in Britain, Europe and East Africa. There are also reproductions of work by de Sausmarez and others as well as preparatory photographs for several portraits and his painting 'Whitelocks' (1955).
Work by others
Material by other creators including research notes by the sociologist and art historian Arnold Hauser, musical scores by the composer and Gregory Fellow Kenneth Leighton and sketches by K.A. Robertson.
Printed images
This series contains colour and black and white reproductions of artworks collected by de Sausmarez for use in teaching. There are also colour and black and white photographic postcards depicting drawings, prints, paintings and sculptures as well as people, architecture and landscapes from his travels in Europe and East Africa.
Books, pamphlets and exhibition catalogues
The collection also includes a series of over 600 art books, exhibition catalogues and pamphlets from de Sausmarez’s own library.
Artworks in the University of Leeds Art Collection
The collection includes nine artworks by de Sausmarez, eight are oil paintings and one, a self-portrait, is a lithographic print. Most of the works date to the 1950s and include portraits of Professor of English Literature Bonamy Dobrée, Gerald Carter Veale, and poet and Gregory Fellow James Kirkup. There are also two landscapes, one of West Hartlepool and another of Tuscany, still lifes of a sideboard and flowers, and his painting of Whitelocks public house in Leeds.
Preparatory photographs for the portraits of Bonamy Dobrée and Gerald Carter Veale, and also for 'Whitelocks' can be found in the Photographs series of the Archive.
Related Collections
You can find a significant number of books and other texts by Maurice de Sausmarez in the Herbert Read Library. Material relating to the Isaac Rosenberg exhibition that de Sausmarez co-curated with Jon SiIkin can also be found in the Jon Silkin Archive.
Further information about the history of the University’s Fine Art Department is held within the University of Leeds Archive.
Searching the Archive
Use the dedicated search bar at the top of this page to search exclusively through the Maurice de Sausmarez Archive. Material from the collection can also be found via searching the general Special Collections catalogue, using appropriate keywords such as “Maurice de Sausmarez". By using the Advanced Search option, you can include the classmark “MS 2270” to narrow your search to items from this specific collection.
To help get started, researchers may find it useful to watch videos on how to use the catalogue to access material in Special Collections. The videos explain how to search material via the catalogue, use a collections hierarchy, and find digital collections.
How to Access the Material
Researchers can access material from the Maurice de Sausmarez Collection in a number of different ways:
–for consultation in person in the Brotherton Research Centre
–for consultation virtually with a member of the Brotherton Research Centre team
–by ordering high-quality images through the Brotherton Research Centre’s digitisation service.
–Please see the Plan a Visit page for more information about these options.
Material from the Maurice de Sausmarez Archive can also be used to support teaching within the University. Please see the Teaching Support page for more information on how to reserve material for teaching or group study sessions.
Further Information
For further help or information, please contact the Brotherton Research Centre team at specialcollections@library.leeds.ac.uk