Artist in many media, picture dealer and collector, born in London. His father Lionel Harris founded the Spanish Art Gallery which Tomás later helped to run, having dealt on his own. Studied at Slade School of Fine Art, 1923–6, having won the Trevelyan-Goodall Scholarship, under Henry Tonks; then for a year at British Academy in Rome; etching at the Slade after World War II; and wood engraving in the early 1950s with John Buckland-Wright. During the war Harris’ knowledge of Spain was invaluable to the Security Service. He was a principal organiser of Operation Garbo, which misled the Germans on Allied plans for the invasion of France. After the war Harris gave up dealing to devote himself to collecting and painting. In 1943 he showed solo with Lefevre Gallery.

Text source: 'Artists in Britain Since 1945' by David Buckman (Art Dictionaries Ltd, part of Sansom & Company)


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