Aubrey Beardsley, Autograph letter to G. F. Scotson-Clark, 9 August 1891. In this detail of a heavily illustrated letter to a former schoolmate, Beardsley includes a humorous watercolor self-portrait in the pose of artist James McNeill Whistler’s mother.
British Artist Aubrey Beardsley Focus of Upcoming Exhibition in New York
Celebrate the 150th birthday of “bad boy” artist Aubrey Beardsley with the exhibition Aubrey Beardsley, 150 Years Young. The exhibition—on view at the Grolier Club in New York from September 8 through November 12, 2022—is drawn from materials in the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection in the UD Library, Museums and Press.
Aubrey Beardsley, 150 Years Young explores the meteoric rise of the 19th-century British artist, who became a monumental figure in book and magazine illustration, graphic arts and poster design, and the history of gender and sexuality.
While Beardsley’s brief career was cut short by his death from tuberculosis, he made an impact as a brilliant and daring innovator who often caused controversy by using satirical imagery to push gender and sexual boundaries. The exhibition highlights the rebellious quality of his art and writing, celebrating the eternally young Beardsley.
The Mark Samuels Lasner Collection focuses on British literature and art from 1850-1900, with an emphasis on the Pre-Raphaelites and the writers and illustrators of the 1890s. In addition to Beardsley, the collection highlights artists such as Oscar Wilde, George Eliot, Max Beerbohm and others through nearly 10,000 books, periodicals, letters, manuscripts, photographs, ephemera and artworks. Learn more about the collection here.
To learn more about visiting the exhibition, please visit the Grolier Club’s website.
