Melville was born in 1902 and died in 1986. He was attracted by the work of the Surrealist movement in the early 1930's and joined the Surrealist Group in 1938. His significance within the group awarded him exhibition coverage at the Wertheim Gallery in London and his work is now well represented in public galleries. Melville's work has been described by Carol Fitzgerald as presenting 'transformed figures and dreamlike unexpected conjunction of images.'