Anthony Earnshaw – The Imp of Surrealism

This exhibition celebrates the life and work of Anthony Earnshaw, an artist whose creative journey defied the rules from the start. Leaving school at 15 to work in factories, Earnshaw had no formal artistic training, yet found freedom in art: a playful, rebellious response to the confines of everyday life.

A post-war Surrealist with anarchist leanings, Earnshaw’s drawings and watercolours are filled with wit, paradox and quiet defiance. His fluid, dreamlike imagery embraces chance and ambiguity, transforming the familiar into the strange. A major breakthrough came in 1966 with his first major solo exhibition in Leeds, firmly positioning him within the Surrealist tradition.

A long-time friend of Dean Clough, Earnshaw exhibited here regularly with his wife, Gail, who has now generously entrusted many of his works to the Dean Clough collection. This exhibition marks their return home, a tribute to an artist whose irreverent spirit continues to inspire.

When: Ongoing until Sunday 12th October, weekdays 09:00 – 17:00, weekends 10:00 – 16:00

Where: Crossley Gallery, D Mill

For more information: Contact ACDC on info@artscharitydeanclough.org or 01422 383500