Don Bachardy

Donald Jess Bachardy, an American portrait artist, captures a deep sense of intimacy and introspection through his linear and straightforward drawings.

Biography of Don Bachardy

Born in 1934 in Los Angeles, California, Bachardy pursued his art education at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and the Slade School of Art in London.

His inaugural solo exhibition took place in October 1961 at the Redfern Gallery in London, marking the beginning of numerous shows in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, and New York.

On Valentine's Day in 1953, he crossed paths with the writer Christopher Isherwood, and their companionship endured until Isherwood's passing in 1986.

Reflecting on his artistic journey, Bachardy has authored several books, with "Frankenstein: The True Story" being one of the earliest, published in 1973 in collaboration with Isherwood.

Residing in the Santa Monica home he shared with Isherwood for over 50 years, Bachardy continues to create portraits for gallery exhibitions and commissions.

Bachardy's artworks are housed in esteemed collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum of Art in San Francisco, the University of Texas, Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery in San Marino, California, the University of California, Los Angeles, the Fogg Art Museum of Harvard University, Princeton University, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Artistic Mastery: DonBachardy's Art Style

Bachardy has gained acclaim for his portraiture, particularly of artists, musicians, writers, and Hollywood luminaries such as Tennessee Williams, Joan Didion, Anais Nin, Dorothy Parker, David Hockney, and Aldous Huxley, among others. Notably, he completes his portraits in a single sitting, deliberately preserving the intensity of the moment. Bachardy's meticulous focus and sensitivity, evident in both his drawings and paintings, distill the essence of his subjects with minimal extraneous detail.

One of Bachardy's most poignant and expressive collections is "Last Drawings of Christopher Isherwood," published in 1990. This compilation encapsulates Isherwood in the final stages of his life, offering a powerful visual narrative of his decline.

During Isherwood's battle with cancer, Bachardy committed to almost daily drawings, capturing his partner's transformative journey. This artistic endeavor sought to make the process of death a shared experience between the two. The resulting portraits bear witness to a mind and body in transition. As Isherwood's illness progressed, the drawings evolved, reflecting the challenges of cooperation during sittings and the dwindling timeframe. As the inevitability of death approached, the drawings took on a sketchier and more unmediated quality, mirroring the profound changes occurring in Isherwood's physical and emotional state.