Aubrey Beardsley

About this book

Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) was the most notorious illustrator of his day. This book, published to commemorate the centenary of his tragically early death at the age of twenty-five, tells the story of his extraordinary life and brief, hectic career. Beardsley's distinctive body of work is considered alongside that of his contemporaries and friends, among them Oscar Wilde, James McNeill Whistler, Max Beerbohm, Edward Burne-Jones, and W.B. Yeats, and set against the vibrant and often racy artistic, literary, and social world of 1890s London. Beardsley's startling designs are reproduced here from original drawings and from rare early editions of the books and magazines he illustrated. Also included are examples of his innovative prints, posters, and bookbindings, along with a gallery of portraits and photographs of Wilde, Yeats, and other celebrated figures in Beardsley's circle. The authoritative text is the first to fully explore the precocious young artist's diverse influences, which range from ancient Greek vase paintings to erotic Japanese ukiyo-e prints and European Old Master paintings by Mantegna, Watteau, and Botticelli.