Desmond Morris, a British zoologist who argued that humanity is merely another species of monkey uniquely lacking hair, died on the 19th (local time) at age 98. In his 1967 book The Naked Ape, Morris sparked enormous controversy by claiming that despite technological progress and evolution, modern humans remain fundamentally similar to monkeys. The book was translated into 23 languages worldwide, including Korean, and sold more than 20 million copies.
Morris gained global fame through books and broadcasting as a zoologist. At the same time, he succeeded as a surrealist painter who exhibited with Joan Miró. In an interview with the Guardian last year, he said, "A painting I did in 1948 sold for more than £50,000 (about 100 million won) two years ago," adding, "It was one of my most cherished works, and I wanted to buy it myself, but it sold, and I was angry."
His son Jason delivered the obituary on the 20th, saying, "My father's life was a continuum of inquiry, curiosity and creativity," and, "A zoologist, human observer, writer and artist, my father wrote and painted until the very moment his life ended."
◇"Humans are a species of naked ape"
Born in 1928 in Wiltshire in southwest England, Morris enlisted in the British Army in 1946 and served as an art instructor at the Army Staff College in Chiseldon, Wiltshire. After completing two years of military service, he held his first solo exhibition of his paintings at the Swindon Arts Centre in 1948, and in 1950 staged a surrealist art exhibition with Joan Miró at the London Gallery.
At the same time, he built a career as a scientist. He studied zoology at the University of Birmingham and earned a doctorate in ethology from the University of Oxford in 1954 for research observing the aggressive mating dance of the ten-spined stickleback. After researching bird behavior at the university, he became curator of mammals for the Zoological Society at London Zoo in 1959 and worked there for eight years.
He left more than 90 books on zoological research during his life. The Naked Ape opens, "Today there are said to be 193 species of monkeys and apes living on Earth, of which 192 have hair all over their bodies, with a single odd species, the so-called hairless ape that calls itself 'Homo sapiens.'"
In the book, he interpreted uniquely human traits not as superior to other primates, but as different adaptations for survival. For example, while females of other primates mate only during ovulation, in humans a woman's ovulation is not outwardly apparent and sexual relations are possible at any time. Morris explained this as "an evolutionary device by which, whereas mating among other primates serves solely for reproduction, humans provide mutual rewards to cement the bonds needed for cooperative child rearing." He followed with works including The Human Zoo (1969), Manwatching (1977) and The Naked Man (1977).
◇Fame combining careers as zoologist and painter
He was also known for exhibitions that combined his careers as a zoologist and painter. In 1957, he exhibited works painted by a chimpanzee named Congo at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Morris said Congo's paintings proved that artistic expression does not originate solely with humans. That was exactly what he argued in The Naked Ape. In 1958, at The Lost Image at London's Royal Festival Hall, he compared images created by infants, adults and apes.
Morris later gained popular appeal as a TV presenter introducing animals. In 1956, he was selected as the presenter of Zoo Time, a nature documentary series on ITV Granada. The program, featuring zoo staff and animal researchers, aired until 1967. In 1965, he presented Life in the Animal World on the BBC, and went on to host numerous BBC documentaries, including Manwatching (1977), TV and Natural History (1986) and The Human Animal (1994).
The "manwatcher" mentioned by his son in the obituary encapsulates Morris's research. He studied human behavior as one would observe birds or monkeys. Taken by his son to a soccer match, he was captivated by the passion of the fans. Drawing on scientific insight, he wrote about the rituals of chants and clapping. Morris interpreted "fans' clapping as displays in the stadium by men."
Later, he also studied why people in the Mediterranean are so expressive with their gestures. When an acquaintance remarked at the time, "You look at people as a birdwatcher looks at birds," Morris replied, "You could call me a 'manwatcher.'" Having become a star, the zoologist and painter may be observing and drawing humans from the sky even now.