Malcolm Morley (British, b.1931) is a Contemporary painter who has worked in styles as varied as Photo Realism and Neo-Expressionism. Born in North London, Morley had a difficult childhood and only began painting during a stint in prison. Upon his release, Morley first studied at the Camberwell School of Arts, and then at the Royal College of Art. Morley frequently painted ships and planes from sources including photographs, newspapers, and model airplanes; he would return to these subjects throughout his career. Inspired by American Abstract Expressionism, Morley moved to New York City in 1958, where he befriended Abstract Expressionist painter Barnett Newman. In 1964, however, Morley was influenced by the Pop Art of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein and pioneered Photo Realism—or “superrealism” as he preferred to call it—in which he created copies of Old Master paintings and images from brochures and newspapers. In the 1970s, his work became more gestural, as he attempted to recreate in oil the loose quality he found in his watercolors, while drawing on imagery from Greek mythology. He expanded his gestural work in the 1980s to become a leader of Neo-Expressionism, work for which he won the first annual Turner Prize in 1984. At the end of the decade, Morley switched focus again and returned to Photo Realism, and also began making large sculptural installations based on model airplanes. He lives and works in New York.