Notable Artists’ Lives: Nine Biographies to Inspire

When art inspires us, we are often curious about the people who created it. Often, that work is evocative of the breadth of that artist’s perspective or inspired by their life experiences.

Discover the fascinating lives of nine notable artists across a range of disciplines from sculpture and photography to painting and performance art. These biographies tell the compelling story of the people behind the art from the people close to them and in some cases, in their own words.

We invite you to immerse yourself in the creative world of these artists, unearth what inspired and motivated them, and perhaps find a little inspiration of your own.

1. Leigh Bowery

Though his life was short – he died in 1994 at the age of 33 – Leigh Bowery left a powerful legacy that inspired many. Arriving in London in 1980 clutching only a suitcase and a sewing machine, Bowery took the club scene by storm and channelled his creativity into a vibrant display as an artist, performer, musician, club promoter and fashion designer. Bowery could also add model to his extensive list of skills – he often sat for Lucian Freud, with whom he maintained a close relationship and who painted Leigh many times.

Leigh Bowery: The Life and Times of an Icon − written by Leigh’s close friend Sue Tilley – paints a vivid picture of Bowery, who Boy George describes as ‘modern art on legs.’ Tilley’s candid retelling offers a unique glimpse at man beneath the makeup.

2. Gwen John

Often portrayed as a recluse, Welsh artist Gwen John (1867–1939) was both devoted to her craft and deeply involved in the life and creativity of her era. Engaging with art from a young age − she and her brother Augustus frequently carried sketchbooks with them when they went out − John went on to study in London at the Slade School of Fine Art. She moved to Paris in 1903, where she continued to paint, and frequently rubbed shoulders with the well-known artists of the day. Throughout her career, John focused primarily on painting portraits (and occasionally interiors) of women in a soft and muted colour palette.

Gwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris carves out space for John as a brilliant, singular and assured artist, and draws on previously unpublished archival sources to explore explores John’s many relationships and correspondences with artists and writers.

3. Henri Cartier-Bresson

Known as the eye of the century, Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) is considered the father of street photography and chronicled many of the 20th century’s most decisive moments, from Chinese communist victories to the Spanish Civil War and the Liberation of Paris. His passion for photography took him around the world, from Mexico and India to Japan and the Soviet Union. Cartier-Bresson was a founding member of Magnum Photos, though later in life he hung up his camera and turned to drawing and painting.

Henri Cartier-Bresson: A Biography by Pierre Assouline − a close confidant of Cartier-Bresson, despite the latter being an intensely private man − details the prolific photographer’s life, from his youthful interest in surrealism to his lifelong passion for drawing and beyond.

4. Esther Mahlangu

South African artist Esther Mahlangu is one of the great innovators of Pan-African Contemporary Art, globally acclaimed for her bold abstract paintings, rooted in South African Ndbele art. She began painting at a young age, when her mother and grandmother taught her the technique of Ndebele mural painting. Historically, the technique was used exclusively for painting houses, but Mahlangu applied the vibrant colours and geometric shapes to a host of different canvases, from cars and clothing to sculptures and ceramics.

Esther Mahlangu: To Paint is in My Heart presents a series of interviews with the artist that offer a unique insight into the beginnings of her creative journey, her process and the cultural significance of her work.

5. John Nash

John Nash (1893–1977) was a highly versatile artist who responded to the British landscape with a unique vision that still resonates today. Though he had no formal training, he was encouraged by his brother − artist Paul Nash − to hone his skills, and went on to create some of the most memorable paintings of the First World War in his capacity as an official war artist. Over a sixty-year career he produced paintings in oil and watercolour and was also an illustrator, cartoonist, wood-engraver and arguably the finest botanical draughtsman of his era.

John Nash: The Landscape of Love and Solace is an intimate and compelling narrative, exploring not just his work but his personal and working relationships, notably with his wife Christine Kühlenthal.

6. Ronald Moody

Ronald Moody (1920–1984) was a leading modernist sculptor who worked in varying mediums from wood to concrete and resin. Emigrating from Jamaica to Britain as a child, Moody initially trained as a dentist before switching paths to become an artist. He established studios in both London and Paris and by 1941, had produced some forty known sculptures. Though he continued to work and exhibit for nearly half a century, Moody received little recognition in Britain during his lifetime.

Ronald Moody: Sculpting Life celebrates Moody’s legacy – punctuated with contributions by those who knew him – and traces the development of his sculpture, while offering the long-overdue recognition he deserves.

7. Barbara Hepworth

One of the finest sculptors of the 20th century, Barbara Hepworth (1903–1975) was at the forefront of multiple avant-garde movements. Whether working with stone, wood or metal, Hepworth was fascinated with translating organic and tangible ideas into her work, using abstract shapes to express them. She often engaged with the arts and politics beyond her own practice, and cultivated an interest in music, dance, poetry, contemporary politics, science and technology.

Barbara Hepworth: Art and Life − written by Eleanor Clayton, Curator at The Hepworth Wakefield gallery − provides a penetrating insight into Hepworth’s remarkable life and the entirety of her multi-faceted artistic practice.

8. Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon (1909-1992) was a creative genius known for his unsettling figurative paintings that served as an examination of the human form. Though he was one of the 20th century’s most influential and important artists, Bacon was very protective of his art and his public persona. Interviews he gave during his lifetime – in which he shared his own highly personal, authoritative interpretations of his paintings – offered some insight into Bacon’s process, but much of the artistic discourse came after his death.

Authored by esteemed writer Michael Peppiatt, Francis Bacon: A Self-Portrait in Words illustrates Bacon’s often caustic wit and artistic expression through never-before-published letters, statements and interviews that reveal the artist’s preoccupations, thoughts and ideas.

9. Eileen Agar

A pioneering figure in the Surrealist movement, Eileen Agar (1899–1991) lived an extraordinary and colourful life. Creative from a young age, Agar went on to gain notoriety for her paintings and collages, and her career was enriched by friendships and relationships with other major cultural figures, including Lee Miller, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Ezra Pound. Agar made art until the last few months of her life and her oeuvre continues to captivate audiences with its otherworldly beauty and imaginative power.

A Look at My Life  brings Agar’s work to life in all its vibrancy and variety in the artist’s own words, accompanied by a personal selection of photographs of family, friends and lovers alongside over fifty colour illustrations of collages, paintings and assemblages spanning her life’s work.