Desmond Morris, the zoologist, author, television presenter, and surrealist painter, has died at the age of 98. He was best known for his 1967 book *The Naked Ape* and the television program *Zoo Time*, but maintained a parallel, influential career in the visual arts as a painter and curator.
His death marks the loss of a unique figure who bridged the worlds of science and art. Morris's significance to the art world lies in his active surrealist painting practice, his directorship of London's Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), and his pioneering exhibitions that challenged definitions of art by showcasing work by chimpanzees and placing it alongside human creations.