Publisher's Synopsis
The most poignant are the ones of decomposing elephants where, over time, as they disintegrate, the bones form magnificent sculpture - sculpture which is not just abstract form but has all the memory traces of life, despair and futility. - Francis Bacon on Peter Beard's photographs. Photographer, collector, diarist, and writer of books, Peter Beard has fashioned his life into a work of art; the illustrated diaries he kept from a young age evolved into a serious career as an artist and earned him a central position in the international art world. He was painted by Francis Bacon, painted on by Salvador Dali, and made diaries with Andy Warhol; he toured with Truman Capote and the Rolling Stones, created books with Jacqueline Onassis and Mick Jagger - all of whom are brought to life, literally and figuratively, in his work. As a fashion photographer, he took "Vogue" stars like Veruschka to Africa and brought new ones - most notably Iman - back to the U.S. with him. His love affair with natural history and wildlife, which informs most of his work, began when he was a teenager.
