Take a Bowery : The art (and larger than) life of Leigh Bowery

A$25 · Offered by Douglas Stewart Fine Books

Sydney : Museum of Contemporary Art, 2003. Small quarto, illustrated wrappers, pp. 184, illustrated throughout, a fine copy in mint condition. Scarce. Take a Bowery: The Art and (larger than) Life of Leigh Bowery examined the extraordinary contribution to performance, fashion design and visual culture of the late Australian-born, London-based performance artist, Leigh Bowery. Incorporating previously unseen archival material, video footage of live performances, costumes, photographs and other works, the exhibition presented a comprehensive insight into the life of Bowery the artist, the performer and the individual. Born in Sunshine, Melbourne in 1961, Bowery moved to London in 1980 at the height of the post-punk era and rapidly positioned himself at the centre of the city’s club scene, meeting and working with some of the most influential artists, designers and filmmakers of the time. As a fashion designer, nightclub impresario, performance artist, stylist, aspiring pop star and painter’s model, Bowery was involved in creating some of the most indelible looks and images of the 1980s and early 1990s. While working across a range of media, Bowery was ultimately an artist who used his own body as a canvas, bringing a radical and refreshing presence to the established traditions within which he worked. Initially interested in a career as a fashion designer, Bowery’s creations were invariably made to be worn on his own unique body. Over six feet tall, fleshy and pale, Bowery emph

• Binding: Hardcover

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