Leigh Bowery: The Life and Times of an Icon

Sue Tilley

Hodder & Stoughton, 1997 - History - 308 pages

The definitive biography of one of modern art's most provocative vanguards Leigh Bowery was one of the most controversial and avant-garde performers of his generation. In this fascinating biography, author Sue Tilley, one of Bowery's closest friends, lays bare the extravagant life of the trendsetting entertainer. From Bowery's groundbreaking costumes and performance art, to his notoriety in London's 1980s nightclub culture, to his role as a favored model for painter Lucian Freud, Tilley's engrossing portrait offers insight into the outrageous world of 1980s modern art and the man who came to embody it. This ebook features a new postscript by Sue Tilley and an illustrated biography including rare photos from the author's personal collection.

About the author

Sue Tilley is an author and model, as well as manager at the government's Department for Work and Pensions in London's West End. Born in 1957 in south London, Tilley became involved in the London art scene in the late 1970s, leading to her close relationship with Leigh Bowery. In 2008, a painting of Tilley by the portraitist Lucian Freud become the world's highest-selling painting by a living artist, going for $34 million at Christie's Fine Arts Auction House in New York. Tilley continues to write, model, and pursue other projects in London.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Leigh Bowery: The Life and Times of an Icon; A sceptre paperback; Life and Times of an Icon
• Author: Sue Tilley
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, 1997
• ISBN: 0340693118, 9780340693117
• Length: 308 pages
• Subjects: History / General