Help keep Alfred Wallis's real story in print

Aim

I would love to keep Alfred Wallis's biography in print, but I can only cover 25% of the cost of producing a second edition. Can you help?

Eight years of research have revealed a very different story behind one of Britain's best-loved artists.

Alfred Wallis (1855–1942) took up painting at the age of 70. As a child, he survived extreme poverty before becoming a Cornish fisherman, sailor, marine-stores dealer, Salvation Army soldier and family man, living through hardship and enormous personal loss. His paintings went on to have a profound influence on British Modern Art, yet Wallis himself ended his days in the workhouse. Today, he is regarded as one of Britain’s best-loved artists, but the real story of his life and his remarkable years as an artist were clouded by myth. As writer and art critic Colin Rhodes said of my biography, “This book makes Wallis a real person and not some semi-mythical modernist cipher.”

Award

I funded the first edition of Alfred Wallis Child Pauper To Artistic Luminary because I believed his extraordinary real story deserved to be told. The book has now won the Leonard Truran Cup for Most Outstanding Entry at the 2026 Holyer an Gof Publishers' Awards. 

High Praise

The book has received exceptional reviews from art historians, writers and artists. Andrew Wilson, former Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary British Art at Tate Britain, described it as: “An utterly compelling read – the depth of research is unparalleled and changes the understanding of Alfred Wallis’s painting in so many ways.” See more at www.alfredwallis.co.uk

Second Edition

I feel it is vital to keep this research in print and bring out a second edition, incorporating a small amount of new material, and adjustments resulting from further research. The total cost of printing and image licensing is £12,000. I am putting in £3,000 myself and am asking supporters to help raise the remaining £9,000.

Your name can become part of the story

Donating £5 or more will see your name joining those already on the website - www.alfredwallis.co.uk/sponsors. Donating £35 or more will see your name added to the second edition itself. Higher levels also include the opportunity to enjoy an online or in-person talk about Alfred Wallis and the research behind the book. 

Help keep Alfred Wallis's legacy alive for future generations

If you would like to ensure Wallis's fascinating true story lives on, I'd be enormously grateful for your support. And if you can't donate, sharing the campaign with someone who loves art, St Ives, Cornwall or social history would help enormously.

Every contribution, however large or small, will help make the second edition possible.

Many thanks,
Matilda

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REVIEWS:

“By far the most complete account that has been written to date, and clearly the result of many years of research.”
James Scott, British Art Journal

"A triumph - beautiful and moving and a joy to hold in your hands - everything a brilliant biography should be.”
Dr Joseph McBrinn, Reader in Art and Design History, Belfast School of Art

“One of the most absorbing books I have ever read.”
Cornelius Browne, writer and artist

"An incredible piece of scholarship. It has completely transformed my understanding and respect for Wallis’s work.”
David Tovey, art historian and author

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Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 6th December 2026 at 10:52am