Customer Reviews

Aubrey Beardsley: A Biography

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Matthew Sturgis' biography of the short-lived pen and ink master of black and white imagery provides an informative and elegantly written life of Art Noveau figure Aubrey Beardsley. Discussions of Beardsley's early years, meetings with famous figures like Oscar Wilde and James Whistler, Yellow Book fame, and last years full of physical decline are covered with intelligent attention to detail. Also included are several reproductions of Beardsley's illustrations and the critical response to them. The book is a fast read that is accessible to those not overly familiar with the man and the period, and is also interesting to the fin-de-siecle conoisseur.

Among the myriad biographies on Aubrey Beardsley, I have to say that this one stands out. Thorough, in depth and a quick read, it covers his life, work and complex personality perfectly. Although I have enjoyed immensely many other books about the man, I feel that this one provides a great starting point. From Beardsley's birth in Brighton to his untimely death in Menton, his tragic story is told with warmth, pathos and the great knowledge of a man clearly admiring of his subject. This book will open your eyes to new and startling truths about Beardsley and his work, if you have been convinced that his life was one of wanton decadence and sexual excess. What a surprise to learn that this clearly was not the case - rather, Beardsley was a most conservative man. I have for many years admired him and his work greatly, and am personally very thankful that Sturgis wrote this book.
For those more interested in a review of Beardsley's work, I'd suggest Chris Snodgrass' book, Aubrey Beardsley, Dandy of the Grotesque. It stands as a perfect companion to Sturgis' biography.