Overview

Complete with never-before-seen photos and a selection of iconic artworks, an unfiltered and intimate chronicle of the storied Hollywood life of Don Bachardy, the acclaimed portrait artist who, as famed author Christopher Isherwood's life partner, was half of America's most famous gay couple for over three decades, and whose subjects and friends include an astounding array of Hollywood and literary celebrities. Complete with never-before-seen photos and a selection of iconic artworks, an unfiltered and intimate chronicle of the storied Hollywood life of Don Bachardy, the acclaimed portrait artist who, as famed author Christopher Isherwood's life partner, was half of America's most famous gay couple for over three decades, and whose subjects and friends include an astounding array of Hollywood and literary celebrities. ""Believe me baby, this is not just a book, sugar, it's a marvelous dance with words, enchanting, heady and daring!"" -Liza Minnelli A figure as fascinating as any of his celebrated subjects, Don Bachardy has lived an extraordinary life at the heart of Hollywood, literary, and artistic circles. His drawings and paintings reside in museums throughout Europe and the United States, and include portraits of movie stars, writers, artists, and public and private figures of every background-from Bette Davis and Joan Crawford to Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote-all rendered in a candid, expressive style unmistakably the artist's own. In this unique oral biography, Bachardy recounts his astonishing story, providing illuminating recollections of celebrity portrait sittings and revelations about his 30-year relationship with Christopher Isherwood. From their meeting in the 1950s until Isherwood's death in 1986, theirs was a legendary love story, courageous and uncompromising for its time, and remarkable in any era for the creative collaborations and art it continues to inspire. Drawn from one-on-one interviews and conversations conducted at the Santa Monica home Bachardy shared with Isherwood, Michael Schreiber has crafted a biography unlike any other, filled with tantalizing celebrity tales set against the backdrop of Bachardy's artistic and personal journey. Wise, warm, and thoroughly unflinching, this is a fresh and revealing portrait of a life lived with boundless bravery, curiosity, and love.

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9780806543796

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Reviews

Praise for Don Bachardy: An Artist’s Life: “Oh, darling, Don Bachardy: An Artist's Life, is like a fizzy champagne (at least, that's how I remember champagne, when I drank it!)—crisp, invigorating, and you're hooked from the first pop! It's like twirling under the Hollywood sign at night, each page a new star sparkling with tales of love and courage from the one and only Don Bachardy. Believe me baby, this is not just a book, sugar, it's a marvelous dance with words, enchanting, heady and daring!” —Liza Minelli, Academy Award-winning actress/EGOT winner “A captivating read. I have always been struck with how comfortable Don Bachardy is with himself. I think that this is perhaps one of the reasons that he and Christopher Isherwood were daring enough to live the open life that they did long before it was conventional or even safe to do so. Their love story is one of beauty and is an inspiration to all who have ever felt trapped by convention.” —Tom Ford, fashion designer and acclaimed filmmaker of A Single Man and Nocturnal Animals “They became a legendary gay couple when all other gay celebrities were closeted. This book is a paean to Don’s love for Chris and his enthusiasm for life. Don calls himself an artist of personality, and he certainly met and drawn all the Hollywood stars of the day, from Charles Laughton to Natalie Wood—and all the literary personalities from Tennessee Williams to E. M. Forster.” —Edmund White, author of the landmark trilogy A Boy’s Own Story, The Beautiful Room Is Empty, and The Farewell Symphony “Don Bachardy captures the outer likeness and the inner life of his subjects. He is genuinely interested in them and sometimes seems to actually love them.” —Sir Ian McKellen, Tony‑winning and multiple Academy Award and Emmy‑nominated actor “This groundbreaking oral biography reveals its multi‑talented subject in multi‑faceted detail, providing fresh, intimate insight into the legendary Bachardy‑Isherwood partnership.” —Michael York, film and Emmy‑nominated television actor

Author Information

Michael Schreiber is a writer, teacher, and art and film historian based in Chicago. He is the author of One-Man Show- The Life and Art of Bernard Perlin, a Stonewall Honor and Lambda Literary Award Finalist, This American House, written in collaboration with his husband Jason Loper, and Don Bachardy. A native of Fargo, North Dakota, Schreiber holds degrees from Minnesota State University-Moorhead and New York University. He was a 2021 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California in support of his work on Don Bachardy- A Hollywood Life.

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