Aubrey Beardsley

(British, 1872–1898)

Aubrey Beardsley was a British author and illustrator known for his wry humor and elegant drawing style. Beardsley depicted both macabre and overtly sexual themes during the rampant conservatism of the Victorian era. “People hate to see their darting vices depicted [but] vice is terrible and it should be depicted,” he once said. Born on August 21, 1872 in Brighton, United Kingdom, he was a skilled artist and musician from a young age despite contracting tuberculosis at the age of 7. In 1891, Beardsley was recommended by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones to attend the Westminster School of Art. After quickly gaining success as an illustrator, Beardsely was introduced to the famed author Oscar Wilde, who had recently published the provocative book The Picture of Dorian Gray. In 1894, Beardsley illustrated Wilde’s play Salomé (1891), in what was perhaps his most famous graphic work, the artist depicted ghostly figures, phallic-shaped objects, and nude hermaphroditic figures. His infamy in England led the young artist to be commissioned by erotica magazines in the following years. Struggling with tuberculosis throughout his life, Beardsley succumbed to the illness at the age of 25, on March 16, 1898 in Menton, France. Despite his short career, the artist’s work had a profound impact on the development of Art Nouveau. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Tate Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Albertina in Vienna, and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, among others.

Aubrey Beardsley Artworks

Aubrey Beardsley (174 results)

THE YELLOW BOOK, 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

THE YELLOW BOOK, 1894

Sale Date: March 16, 2017

Auction Closed

Otto stampe

Aubrey Beardsley

Sale Date: November 10, 2016

Auction Closed

MORTE D'ARTHUR, BOOK XXI, CHAPTER XIII...

Aubrey Beardsley

MORTE D'ARTHUR, BOOK XXI, CHAPTER XIII...

Sale Date: July 12, 2016

Auction Closed

PUBLISHER, 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

PUBLISHER, 1894

Sale Date: June 8, 2016

Auction Closed

The Savoy, 1896, 1896

Aubrey Beardsley

The Savoy, 1896, 1896

Sale Date: May 24, 2016

Auction Closed

The Coiffing, 1896

Aubrey Beardsley

The Coiffing, 1896

Sale Date: November 27, 2015

Auction Closed

The Coiffing, 1896

Aubrey Beardsley

The Coiffing, 1896

Sale Date: November 27, 2015

Auction Closed

Au bout de l'abîme, 1872

Aubrey Beardsley

Au bout de l'abîme, 1872

Sale Date: November 4, 2015

Auction Closed

SOUS LA COLLINE (book), 1908

Aubrey Beardsley

SOUS LA COLLINE (book), 1908

Sale Date: October 3, 2015

Auction Closed

From The SAVOY (10 in a set)

Aubrey Beardsley

From The SAVOY (10 in a set)

Sale Date: August 1, 2015

Auction Closed

KEYNOTE SERIES, 1896

Aubrey Beardsley

KEYNOTE SERIES, 1896

Sale Date: August 5, 2015

Auction Closed

Chapter heading for book II, chapter XIII of Le...

Aubrey Beardsley

Chapter heading for book II, chapter XIII of Le...

Sale Date: July 14, 2015

Auction Closed

Chapter heading for book V, chapter X of Le...

Aubrey Beardsley

Chapter heading for book V, chapter X of Le...

Sale Date: July 14, 2015

Auction Closed

Le Morte d'Arthur (bk by Sir Thomas Malory w/19...

Aubrey Beardsley

Le Morte d'Arthur (bk by Sir Thomas Malory w/19...

Sale Date: July 14, 2015

Auction Closed

Réjane, 1893

Aubrey Beardsley

Réjane, 1893

Sale Date: June 16, 2015

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Autograph pen and black wash drawing of a..., 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Autograph pen and black wash drawing of a..., 1894

Sale Date: March 18, 2015

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Autograph pen and black wash drawing of , 1893–1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Autograph pen and black wash drawing of , 1893–1894

Sale Date: March 18, 2015

Auction Closed

Cover of The Savoy (+ 3 others; set of 4)

Aubrey Beardsley

Cover of The Savoy (+ 3 others; set of 4)

Sale Date: February 7, 2015

Auction Closed

Mr. Pollitt's Bookplate, 1896

Aubrey Beardsley

Mr. Pollitt's Bookplate, 1896

Sale Date: January 31, 2015

Auction Closed

A Young Tough

Aubrey Beardsley

A Young Tough

Sale Date: January 22, 2015

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A Miser

Aubrey Beardsley

Sale Date: January 22, 2015

Auction Closed

Proof printing of Leonard Smithers publisher’s...

Aubrey Beardsley

Proof printing of Leonard Smithers publisher’s...

Sale Date: July 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Salomé (bk by Oscar Wilde w/5 works)

Aubrey Beardsley

Salomé (bk by Oscar Wilde w/5 works)

Sale Date: July 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Death and the painter

Aubrey Beardsley

Death and the painter

Sale Date: July 15, 2014

Auction Closed

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