Philip Surrey was born in Calgary (Alberta) on October 8, 1910 and died in Montreal on April 24, 1990.  He learned to draw while working for the Eaton’s catalogue and took evening classes at the Winnipeg School of Art.  After moving to Vancouver in 1929, he pursued his artistic training under Frederick Varley from the Group of Seven and in 1936, he left for New York to perfect himself at the Art Students’ League.  The following year, he settled in Montreal where he started a long career in journalism while painting and exhibiting.  Surrey was a member of the former Groupe de l’Est, a founding member of the Contemporary Arts Society and a member of the Canadian Society of Graphic Art.  In 1953, he won First prize at Salon du Printemps and in 1960, he won a prize at the Winnipeg Show.  A member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the Order of Canada, he is represented in some 300 private and public collections.