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

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Aubrey Beardsley (174 results)
Le morte d'Arthur (bk by Thomas Malory..., 1893–1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Le morte d'Arthur (bk by Thomas Malory..., 1893–1894

Sale Date: July 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Two fin-de-siècle women in flowing..., 1893–1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Two fin-de-siècle women in flowing..., 1893–1894

Sale Date: March 19, 2014

Auction Closed

Pseudonym - Autonym, 1895

Aubrey Beardsley

Pseudonym - Autonym, 1895

Sale Date: December 7, 2013

Auction Closed

Pseudonym/Autonym, 1989

Aubrey Beardsley

Pseudonym/Autonym, 1989

Sale Date: July 31, 2013

Auction Closed

The birth, life and acts of King Arthur, 1893–1894

Aubrey Beardsley

The birth, life and acts of King Arthur, 1893–1894

Sale Date: May 15, 2013

Auction Closed

Erotic scenes (4 works)

Aubrey Beardsley

Erotic scenes (4 works)

Sale Date: May 1, 2013

Auction Closed

Vignette (for p.69 in Bon-Mots of Charles..., 1893

Aubrey Beardsley

Vignette (for p.69 in Bon-Mots of Charles..., 1893

Sale Date: April 25, 2013

Auction Closed

Vignette (for p.13 in Bon-Mots of Sydney..., 1893

Aubrey Beardsley

Vignette (for p.13 in Bon-Mots of Sydney..., 1893

Sale Date: April 25, 2013

Auction Closed

Vignette (for p.110 in Bon-Mots of Samuel..., 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Vignette (for p.110 in Bon-Mots of Samuel..., 1894

Sale Date: April 25, 2013

Auction Closed

Vignette for p.55 in Bon-Mots of Sydney..., 1893

Aubrey Beardsley

Vignette for p.55 in Bon-Mots of Sydney..., 1893

Sale Date: April 25, 2013

Auction Closed

Elegant figure by a curtain

Aubrey Beardsley

Elegant figure by a curtain

Sale Date: December 19, 2012

Auction Closed

A Female Drummer

Aubrey Beardsley

A Female Drummer

Sale Date: December 12, 2012

Auction Closed

Pseudonym/Autonym, 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Pseudonym/Autonym, 1894

Sale Date: November 1, 2012

Auction Closed

The Yellow Book, 1896

Aubrey Beardsley

The Yellow Book, 1896

Sale Date: August 1, 2012

Auction Closed

Keynotes Series, 1896

Aubrey Beardsley

Keynotes Series, 1896

Sale Date: August 1, 2012

Auction Closed

The Yellow Book, 1890

Aubrey Beardsley

The Yellow Book, 1890

Sale Date: May 20, 2012

Auction Closed

Self-portrait (The art editor of The Yellow Book)

Aubrey Beardsley

Self-portrait (The art editor of The Yellow Book)

Sale Date: December 15, 2011

Auction Closed

Lysistrata (8 works), 1896

Aubrey Beardsley

Lysistrata (8 works), 1896

Sale Date: December 1, 2011

Auction Closed

Salome by Oscar Wilde (portfolio of 17), 1907

Aubrey Beardsley

Salome by Oscar Wilde (portfolio of 17), 1907

Sale Date: November 8, 2011

Auction Closed

Keynotes series, 1895

Aubrey Beardsley

Keynotes series, 1895

Sale Date: November 3, 2011

Auction Closed

Pseudonym/autonym, 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Pseudonym/autonym, 1894

Sale Date: November 3, 2011

Auction Closed

Keynotes series, 1896

Aubrey Beardsley

Keynotes series, 1896

Sale Date: July 14, 2011

Auction Closed

Ici on parle français (4 works; recto/verso), 1888

Aubrey Beardsley

Ici on parle français (4 works; recto/verso), 1888

Sale Date: July 14, 2011

Auction Closed

Mr. Pollitt's bookplate, 1897

Aubrey Beardsley

Mr. Pollitt's bookplate, 1897

Sale Date: March 29, 2011

Auction Closed

English (US)

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