The home of World War II photographer Lee Miller and her surrealist artist husband Roland Penrose has been granted charity status.

Farley’s House and Gallery in East Sussex has been the headquarters of Miller’s archives for 30 years and is open to the public for part of the year.

“In gaining charitable status, Farleys House and Gallery aims to not only advance education in the lives of Lee Miller and Roland Penrose, but to use their stories and values of peace, freedom, and justice so central to Surrealism, to raise awareness in wider issues around women’s rights and mental health,” said the charity.

The house has further artistic significance after hosting visitors including Man Ray, Pablo Picasso and Henry Moore.

American Miller died at the age of 70 in 1977. Following a career as a fashion model during the 1920s she became a photographer and was notably Vogue magazine’s war photographer and correspondent covering key events such as the liberation of Paris and the blitz in London.

“Becoming a charity is the biggest step that my family has taken since my parents, Antony and Suzanna Penrose, along with my grandfather Roland Penrose, started the archives in 1977,” added Miller’s granddaughter Ami Bouihassane, who is a co-director of the charity.

“As a small family enterprise, we have spent decades establishing Lee Miller’s legacy and Farleys – often against considerable odds.

“In the current climate where arts funding is in crisis, this transition feels necessary. We hope that becoming a charity will encourage people to donate and share in safeguarding Farleys.

“Forgoing what might have been my inheritance was not a decision taken lightly but I believe in my heart it is the best way to preserve Farleys and care for the legacies of Lee Miller and Roland Penrose for the future.”

---