Whitstable Oystermen, 1948 by Tristram Hillier

Tristram Hillier was an English Surrealist painter, who studied at the Slade School of Fine Art under Roger Tonks. It was later in his career, in Paris, where he encountered the work of his major influences Braque, Picasso, Giorgio de Chirico, and Max Ernst. It was this period in the early 1930’s that shaped his unique style, leading to him becoming a member of ‘Unit One’, a group of Modernist artists founded by Paul Nash. His work is held in the Tate Gallery, and many other public and private collections.