From the Publisher
"The author succeeds in looking beyond Beard's surface appeal as the 'ideal avatar for our adventurous impulses, shirtless on a perpetual safari,' to explore what he calls Beard's fatalism, his 'heartbreak over the destruction of the natural world'...A vivid account of a life devoted to the African wild." — Kirkus Reviews
“Spirited… Wallace blends biography, art criticism, reportage and essayistic digressions to create a portrait of a man so disillusioned with civilization that he sought to ‘rewild himself.’ . . . the man is sharper as a result.” — Washington Post
Library Journal
06/01/2023
Journalist Wallace provides an insightful accounting of Peter Beard's outsized life and character. Beard (1938–2020) was a legendary adventurous artist and wildlife photographer who maximized his experiences around the globe. His photography depicted dramatic images of Africa's wildlife and spanned the fashion world, which included working with famous models. Wallace says Beard had a "yearn to preserve," to collect moments and experiences, using photography to help synthesize his memories. Coming from a well-educated family with adventurous roots and an appreciation for fine art, he later translated that into his personal and professional life. He became pessimistic about social constructs such as marriage and social clubs, calling them phony. Contradictory to this attitude, he was well-connected to high society, which led to his collaboration with Andy Warhol, a tour with the Rolling Stones, and his attendance at bullfights with Picasso. Wallace was a long-time admirer of Beard and became friends with him in his later years, which lends intimacy to this portrait of the artist's life. This book is thorough and will keep readers engaged. VERDICT Overall, Beard's life reads like the adventure it was. Recommended for both general interest readers and photography enthusiasts.—Gary Medina
Kirkus Reviews
2023-04-04
Biography of the well-known wildlife advocate, art photographer, socialite, and fashion icon.
According to Wallace, Peter Beard (1933-2020) was “a man of action, maybe the last great romantic adventurer,” and Paul Theroux called him "the first person to chronicle the decline of wildlife…of East Africa.” From their initial encounter for an Interview magazine profile in 2016, Wallace has remained fascinated by this "proto-influencer" whose "prep-kid-gone-bamboo style" would inspire entire fashion collections in his image. Beard’s jet-set lifestyle included friendships with the artists Dalí, Warhol, and Francis Bacon, who considered Beard his muse. He attended bullfights with Picasso, and he romanced Cheryl Tiegs (his second wife), Iman, and Lee Radziwill. "Obsessed with the idea of Africa," Beard made his home at Hog Ranch, his own "patch of bush" teeming with wildlife, outside of Nairobi, Kenya. He kept lifelong diaries, took hundreds of photographs, and made collages documenting his quest for an aesthetic ideal he called "primitiva.” Throughout his life, he endeavored to make himself "a vessel for art." Wallace emphasizes Beard's overriding insight that "the end of wildlife…is the end of us" as a species. The author succeeds in looking beyond Beard's surface appeal as the "ideal avatar for our adventurous impulses, shirtless on a perpetual safari,” to explore what he calls Beard's fatalism, his "heartbreak over the destruction of the natural world.” He was, writes the author, "a savant in the bush." Near the end of his life, he walked out of his Montauk compound without his heart medication, which he could not go without for more than 24 hours. After 19 days of searches, a hunter found his body in the woods nearby. Beard had achieved his lifelong goal: a final return to the wilderness, which for him was not a geographical location but a state of being.
A vivid account of a life devoted to the African wild.
