Leigh Bowery Looks /anglais

by GREER FERGUS, Mariuccia Casadio

Leigh Bowery (1961-1994) was a performance artist, fashion designer, nightclub sensation, art object, aspiring pop-star and above all an icon whose influence traversed the music, art, film and fashion worlds. Perhaps he is best-known for his role as muse and nude model for some of Lucian Freud's most famous paintings: ironic for the man who was infamous for his costumes. Bowery arrived in London in 1980 from Sunshine, Australia, notoriously collaborated with dancer Michael Clark, and was proprietor of the infamous 1980s nightclub 'Taboo'. In the 1990s, Leigh Bowery created performances which both delighted and outraged audiences in New York, London and Tokyo, later incorporating his pop group, Minty. This book is the definitive guide to the looks designed and, in these photographs, worn by Leigh Bowery. One of Britain's most heroically ambitious yet underappreciated designers and performance artists, Bowery remains an inspiration to many contemporary fashion designers, though few are willing to admit it. previously unpublished photographs of Bowery, an extraordinary body of work that was the outcome of his collaboration with British photographer Fergus Greer between 1988 and 1994, the year of Bowery's death.

Genres: Fashion, Queer, Art, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published June 13, 2005

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genius. You should dress like this. Especially if you're a fat man. Maybe some outfits are a little impractical if you're say, a welder, or anyone else who has to move around with ease in an unconstricted manner and not get caught on fire or trip. But off the job? Do it.

Please?

(For me.)

[Spencer Distraction · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both hilarious & jaw-droppingly inspirational. Bowery was a master at the illusion ov body modification, & while this book is beautiful & full of amazing photographs ov his creativity, it is still only a book. I cannot highly enough recommend 'The Legend of Leigh Bowery', a brain-splodin' mazemenciatic documentary by Charles Atlas on the witch herself, which, last time I looked, was available to peruse on a tube called you. (I've seen others in the past be this absurdly un-subtle by not calling the site its real name outright, for fear ov said whatevz-it-was video in the past being found out & taken down). SOOO: read it absorb it watch it rock it!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Leigh Bowery. Period.

[Jazmin Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an amazing collection of work, I only marked it one star down as it’s impossible to read half of the foreword as it’s white text on black and white images, such a shame as I had to sort of string together what was said about Leigh.

[Jamie Jamal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great images of Leigh.

[The Rafvolution · Rating 5 out of 5]

I killer looks from this book!

[Hekates Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE IT!