Leigh Bowery (26 March 1961 â€" 31 December 1994) was an Australian
performance artist, club promoter, and fashion designer. Bowery was
known for his flamboyant and outlandish costumes and makeup as well as
his (sometimes controversial) performances. Based in London for much
of his adult life, he was a significant model and muse for the English
painter Lucian Freud. Bowery's friend and fellow performer Boy George
said he saw Bowery's outrageous performances a number of times, and
that it "never ceased to impress or revolt".Bowery was born and raised
in Sunshine, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. From an early age, he
studied music, played piano, and went on to study fashion and design
at RMIT for a year. He moved to London in 1980: 'I was so itchy to see
new things and to see the world that I just left', he said in 1987.
There he found himself part of the New Romantic club scene. He worked
in a clothing shop and appeared in commercials for Pepe jeans. He soon
became an influential and lively figure in the underground clubs of
London and New York, as well as in art and fashion circles. He
attracted attention by wearing wildly outlandish and creative outfits
that he made himself. He became friends and roommates with Guy Barnes
(known as "Trojan") and David Walls: Bowery created costumes for them
to wear, and the trio became known in the clubs as the Three Kings. In
2005 The National Portrait Gallery of Australia acquired a portrait of
Bowery in his infamous fur coat by photographer David Gwinnutt. In
2007 The National Portrait Gallery, London purchased the David
Gwinnutt portrait of Leigh Bowery and Trojan (Guy Barnes) which also
appears in the Violette Editions book.He was known as a club promoter,
and created the club called Taboo, which began as an underground
party, and then opened as a club in 1985. Taboo soon became "the place
to be" with long queues for those waiting to get in. Drugs,
particularly ecstasy, became a part of the dancing scene for the
attendees. The club was known for defying sexual convention, for
embracing "polysexualism", for creating a wild atmosphere, and for
playing unexpected song selections. Leigh Bowery Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter