Sebastian Horsley art and possessions to go on show at London gallery

Sebastian Horsley art and possessions to go on show at London gallery

18 May, 2012
by: Spoonfed Arts Team

The first step in the canonisation of St Sebastian of Horsley...

Almost two years to the day since the tragic death of Sebastian Horsley, an exhibition is being staged to celebrate his life and art. Sebastian Horsley – A Reliquary is taking place at the The Last Tuesday Society in Hackney from June until September, and  includes personal items from his Soho flat as well as paintings from his Flowers of Evil series.

If you don't know of Sebastian Horsley (where have you been?), he was a Soho dandy, artist, sex columnist and Comme des Garçons model. He swum with sharks, slept with a thousand prostitutes, was addicted to crack, addicted to smack, invented a shirt at Turnbull & Asser, won a million, lost a million, and, most famously, crucified himself in the Philippines while Sarah Lucas filmed it. His autobiography, Dandy in the Underworld, was an archly polished masterpiece. And then just as his life was turned into a one-man play by the controversial Tim Fountain, he was found dead of a heroin overdose.

The exhibition has been organised with the direct involvement of Rachel 2, Sebastian's girlfriend at the time of his death. Star items, several of which are for sale, include the famous 'This is not a brothel' plaque that adorned the front door of his Meard Street flat; an array of brightly coloured Savile Row suits straight from his wardrobe; some of the nails used in the notorious crucifixion; one of his top hats; and a selection of gaudily melancholic oil paintings from the Flowers of Evil series.

A pair of Sebastian's paintings and the full-length video of the crucifixion were shows at the Stuart Semple-curated Mindful at the Old Vic Tunnels in September 2011, but this is the first exhibition since his death dedicated entirely to Sebastian. The Last Tuesday Society has described him as “undeniably a national treasure”. “This show is a tribute to Sebastian’s life and legacy,” they added. Let's hope it's a fitting one.

Read Tom's interview with Sebastian Horsley, May 2010.

Sebastian Horsley - A Reliquary is at The Last Tuesday Society from 16th June to 5th September 2012.

Click here to see all London exhibitions.
Return to Spoonfed's London Art homepage.

Spoonfed Arts Team