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)
Children's books, 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Children's books, 1894

Sale Date: May 8, 2006

Auction Closed

Pseudonym/Autonym library, 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Pseudonym/Autonym library, 1894

Sale Date: May 8, 2006

Auction Closed

Children's books, 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Children's books, 1894

Sale Date: December 15, 2005

Auction Closed

Pseudonym/Autonym library, 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Pseudonym/Autonym library, 1894

Sale Date: December 15, 2005

Auction Closed

Some dresses in the chorus, 1893

Aubrey Beardsley

Some dresses in the chorus, 1893

Sale Date: December 2, 2005

Auction Closed

Harem girl

Attributed to Aubrey Beardsley

Harem girl

Sale Date: November 12, 2005

Auction Closed

Isolde (from The Studio)

After Aubrey Beardsley

Isolde (from The Studio)

Sale Date: June 2, 2005

Auction Closed

The Yellow Book, 1895

Aubrey Beardsley

The Yellow Book, 1895

Sale Date: February 3, 2005

Auction Closed

Title page ornament for The yellow book,..., 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

Title page ornament for The yellow book,..., 1894

Sale Date: December 4, 2004

Auction Closed

Keynotes Series, 1896

Aubrey Beardsley

Keynotes Series, 1896

Sale Date: October 14, 2004

Auction Closed

The Yellow Book, 1895

Aubrey Beardsley

The Yellow Book, 1895

Sale Date: October 14, 2004

Auction Closed

The Yellow Book, 1894

Aubrey Beardsley

The Yellow Book, 1894

Sale Date: October 14, 2004

Auction Closed

Vignette in Bon-mots of Smith and Sheridan

Aubrey Beardsley

Vignette in Bon-mots of Smith and Sheridan

Sale Date: May 18, 2004

Auction Closed

Design for the front wrapper of the Savoy, no.4

Aubrey Beardsley

Design for the front wrapper of the Savoy, no.4

Sale Date: May 18, 2004

Auction Closed

Le morte d'Arthur, design for a chapter heading,

Aubrey Beardsley

Le morte d'Arthur, design for a chapter heading,

Sale Date: May 18, 2004

Auction Closed

Young beauty in a park: Le Bourgeois

Aubrey Beardsley

Young beauty in a park: Le Bourgeois

Sale Date: May 18, 2004

Auction Closed

Flosshilde, an illustration for The Savoy

Aubrey Beardsley

Flosshilde, an illustration for The Savoy

Sale Date: May 18, 2004

Auction Closed

Le morte d'Arthur, design for a chapter heading,

Aubrey Beardsley

Le morte d'Arthur, design for a chapter heading,

Sale Date: May 18, 2004

Auction Closed

A female centaur, 1893–1894

Aubrey Beardsley

A female centaur, 1893–1894

Sale Date: December 4, 2002

Auction Closed

The yellow book, 1895, 1895–1895

Aubrey Beardsley

The yellow book, 1895, 1895–1895

Sale Date: October 9, 2002

Auction Closed

The angler's metamorphose, 1888–1889

Aubrey Beardsley

The angler's metamorphose, 1888–1889

Sale Date: June 13, 2002

Auction Closed

Erotische Szene

Attributed to Aubrey Beardsley

Erotische Szene

Sale Date: March 19, 2002

Auction Closed

Spooks at the review of reviews

Aubrey Beardsley

Spooks at the review of reviews

Sale Date: February 6, 2001

Auction Closed

The Pseudonym and Autonyn libraries, 1894–1894

After Aubrey Beardsley

The Pseudonym and Autonyn libraries, 1894–1894

Sale Date: October 20, 2000

Auction Closed

English (US)

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