In Beardsley the author tells the story of Beardstey's life, and describes some of the artistic influences which shaped his style.Photographs of Beardsley, portraits of him by some of his artist friends, early and preparatory sketches, and important contemporary paintings and drawings all bring this tale to life. This is complemented by a selection of sixty of Beardsley's black-and-white illustrations, from the medieval Morte Darthur, through Salome and the startlingly erotic Lysistrata, to the delicate 'embroideries' to the Rape of the Lock and Volpone.Along with color lithographic posters and book jackets, these make this a delightfultribute to this tragic fin-de-siecle figure.

When Aubrey Beardsley died in 1898 he wasnot yet 26 years old. Yet he had by then enjoyed fame and notoriety in almost equalamounts, and his contemporary Max Beerbohm dubbed the 1890s the "Beardsley Era."Since that time Beardsley"s art has grown in popularity so that by the 1960s no selfrespecting student room was without an Isolde or Peacock Skirt poster, and his sinuous, black-and-white drawings were familiar to millions.Beardsley was born on the south coast of England and was diagnosed as tubercular when he was only seven years old. Thus his whole life was overshadowed by terminal illness, which in part explains the frenetic pace at which he worked, and the disturbing nature of much of his imagery. Beardsley had no formal art training and worked in an insurance office in London when he left school. By night, howcver, he worked away on his drawings, and a chance encounter in a bookshop led to his first illustrative commission, for an edition of Malory"s Morte Darthur. This was intended to rival the medievalizing publications of William Morris"s Kelmscott Press, but already Beardsley was developing his own style. Influenced by such avant-garde, older artists and designers as J A M Whistler and E W Godwin, Beardsley discovered Japanese art. He introduced areas of unmodulated black into his drawings, which make them appear startlingly modern in the context of Victorian engraved illustration.This style, coupled with his curving, whiplash line and weird characterizations,brought him great success in his illustrations to Oscar Wilde"s Salome and to the Yellow Book. But Beardsley"s friendship with Wilde, who was jailed in 1895, and increasing ill-health meant that he fell from public favor and was never fully to realize all this early promise.

Le Chymist

How King Arthur Saw the Questing Beast

Die Gotterdammerung

Full-Page Border for "Le Morte Darthur"

How Sir Tristram Drank of the Love Drink

How a Devil in Woman"s Likeness Would Have Tempted Sir Bors

Hou, Queen Guenever Rode on Maying

How Queen Guenever Made Her a Nun

Front Cover and Spine of Le Morte Darthur,Vol 2

How Morgan Le Fay Gave a Shield to Sir Tristram

SleW"led

Le Debris dun Poete

Dreams

Lucian"s Strange Creatures

The Kiss of,judas

Virgilius tire Sorcerer

The Woman in the Moon

Merlin and Nimue

The Peacock Skirt

Tire Bon-Mots of Sydney Smith and R Brinsley Sheridan

The Black Cape

Incipit Vita Nova

The Stomach Dance

A Platonic Lament

The Toilet of Sal0me

The Dancer"s Reu,ard

Enter Herodias

The Climax

Frontispiece to.John Davidson" s "Plays"

Cover" of Poor" Folk

……