L‘artista è nato il 21 agosto 1872 a Brighton, in Inghilterra, e ha iniziato un apprendistato in uno studio di architettura nel 1888. Quattro anni dopo Beardsley ha studiato per qualche tempo alla Westminster School of Art e ha ricevuto l‘incarico di illustrare ‘‘The Morte Darthur‘‘ di Malory. Ispirato dalle xilografie giapponesi, l‘artista ha avuto la sua svolta nel 1894 con l‘illustrazione della ‘‘Salomè‘‘ di Wilde e in quell‘anno, insieme a Harland e Lane, ha iniziato a pubblicare la rivista ‘‘The Yellow Book‘‘ e a produrre manifesti. Negli anni successivi Beardsley illustrò opere di Poe, Wilde, Pope o Jonson, tra gli altri, e disegnò per riviste fino a quando una malattia di tubercolosi nel 1896/97 rese necessario un soggiorno a Bournemouth. Nel 1897 l‘artista si convertì alla Chiesa cattolica e morì il 16 marzo 1898 a Mentone.
Beardsley, che realizzava quasi esclusivamente illustrazioni o manifesti, è uno degli artisti più interessanti dell‘Art Nouveau. Ci sono solo due dipinti ad olio da lui conosciuti: ‘‘A Caprice‘‘ e ‘‘Donna con maschera‘‘.
![Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/thm_Illustration-to-the-book-Le-Morte-d-Arthur-by-Sir-Thomas-Malory.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory")
![Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/thm_aubrey_beardsley_illustration_fuer_das_buch_le_morte_darthur.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory")
![Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/thm_Illustration-fuer-das-Buch-Le-Morte-Darthur-von-Sir-Thomas-Malory.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory")
![How La Beale Isoud Wrote to Sir Tristram. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/thm_How-La-Beale-Isoud-Wrote-to-Sir-Tristram-Illustration-fuer-das-Buch-Le-Morte-Da.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - How La Beale Isoud Wrote to Sir Tristram. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas")
![Illustration to the book "Cinderella. The Little Glass Slipper"](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/thm_Illustration-fuer-das-Buch.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Illustration to the book "Cinderella. The Little Glass Slipper"")
![Illustration for "The Mirror of Love" by Marc-André Raffalovich](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/thm_Illustration-zum-The-Mirror-of-Love-von-Marc-Andre-Raffalovich.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Illustration for "The Mirror of Love" by Marc-André Raffalovich")
![The Toilet (Illustration for "The Rape of the Lock" by Alexander Pope)](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/thm_Die-Toilette-Illustration-fuer-Der-Lockenraub-von-Alexander-Pope.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - The Toilet (Illustration for "The Rape of the Lock" by Alexander Pope)")
![How Four Queens Found Lancelot Sleeping. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/thm_How-Four-Queens-Found-Lancelot-Sleeping.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - How Four Queens Found Lancelot Sleeping. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas")
![Merlin. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/merlin_illustration_fuer_das_b_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Merlin. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory")
![Merlin and Nimue. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/merlin_und_nimue_illustration_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Merlin and Nimue. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory")
![The Four Queens and Lancelot. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/vier_koeniginnen_und_lancelot_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - The Four Queens and Lancelot. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory")
![A page from the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/seite_aus_dem_buch_le_morte_da_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - A page from the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory")
![Arthur Learns of the Sword Excalibur. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Mal](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/arthur_bekommt_excalibur_illus_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Arthur Learns of the Sword Excalibur. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Mal")
![Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/illustration_fuer_das_buch_le-2_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory")
![Illustration for the story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/illustration_zur_kurzgeschicht_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Illustration for the story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe")
![Illustration for the story "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/illustration_zur_kurzgeschicht-2_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Illustration for the story "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe")
![Cover Design for "The Savoy"](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/titelseite_fuer_das_magazin820_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Cover Design for "The Savoy"")
![Illustration for the story "The black cat" by Edgar Allan Poe](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/illustration_zur_kurzgeschicht-3_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - Illustration for the story "The black cat" by Edgar Allan Poe")
![The Rape of the Lock. Illustration for "The Cave of Spleen" by Alexander Pope](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/the_rape_of_the_lock_illustrat_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - The Rape of the Lock. Illustration for "The Cave of Spleen" by Alexander Pope")
![How La Beale Isoud Nursed Sir Tristram. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas M](kunst/aubrey_vincent_beardsley/how_la_beale_isoud_nursed_sir_lo.jpg "Aubrey Vincent Beardsley - How La Beale Isoud Nursed Sir Tristram. Illustration to the book "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas M")
