A Continuous Circulation: Maurice de Sausmarez in Leeds

Discover how Maurice de Sausmarez helped turn Leeds into a hub for bold new ideas in art and education.

This half day symposium marks Maurice de Sausmarez’s contribution to the cultural life of Leeds. It is being held in collaboration with Leeds Arts University. The afternoon includes:

– Roundtable discussion led by Professor Emerita Griselda Pollock, with Professor John Beck, Professor Matthew Cornford, Associate Professor Marianna Tsionki and Professor Sam Broadhead on the ‘Art Schools of Yorkshire’ project and exhibition

– Screening of the film Art on the Streets (2023) and Q&A with filmmaker Dr Harriet Atkinson

– Reading of de Sausmarez’s Art in the North BBC radio broadcast (1951)

– Keynote by Dr Kerry Harker

Leeds became a hotspot for new ideas in the 1950s, thanks to a group of visionary artists and educators at Leeds College of Art and the University of Leeds. They believed art education needed a complete rethink. It should reflect modern life and respond to the challenges posed by contemporary art, not just follow old academic traditions.

One of the leading figures in this movement was Maurice de Sausmarez (1915–69). He arrived in Leeds in 1948 as Head of Drawing and Painting at Leeds College of Art. By 1950, he was the first Lecturer in the new Fine Art Department at Leeds University, and soon its first Head. For nearly a decade, de Sausmarez worked to create a model of art education that combined practical skills with history and theory. This shaped what Fine Art could look like in higher education.

His influence reached far beyond the classroom. He was an artist, writer, broadcaster and examiner, who played a key role in networks of artists who were experimenting with fresh approaches to teaching. One of these approaches, known as Basic Design, encouraged creativity through exploring visual principles rather than copying traditional forms. De Sausmarez brought these ideas together in his groundbreaking book Basic Design: The Dynamics of Visual Form (1964) which became internationally influential.