Twentieth-Century Man: The Wild Life of Peter Beard

by Christopher Wallace

An exuberant biography of the life of the iconic photographer and naturalist Peter Beard, whose life and work captured the cultural imagination  Peter Beard lived an astonishing life. The artist, wildlife photographer, and bon vivant enthralled and inspired both because of his work and his legendary lifestyle. A scion of American industry turned explorer of Africa and environmental advocate, Beard embodied the extremes of his grand adventurer and sexually voracious partier, friend of everyone from the Rolling Stones to Jackie Onassis to Andy Warhol to Karen Blixen. And Beard had a passion—probably more like an obsession—with the faults of the entire human experiment, with the ways in which our consumption of the world’s resources have come to consume us all. Beard’s outsize life and character—his death-defying documentation of both the endangered wildlife of Africa, and, closer to home, some of the world’s most beautiful women for a range of fashion magazines—animate this lively but authoritative biography. The journalist Christopher Wallace, long fascinated by Beard’s artistic legacy, adventurous spirit, and hard-partying persona, came to know him well later in Beard’s life. Capturing the varied social and cultural scenes that Beard moved through with glamorous ease over five decades, Wallace also makes a powerful case for the lasting impact of his work. In Twentieth-Century Man , Wallace has rendered this towering figure in all of his contradictions and complexities—a deeply romantic and idiosyncratic personality, beloved by so many, whose sensibilities nonetheless remained firmly rooted in an era characterized by racist and colonialist attitudes. Stirring and visceral, Twentieth-Century Man is the definitive portrait of Peter Beard.  

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Travel, Art

288 pages, Hardcover

Published July 4, 2023

Reviews

[Melanie Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book itself seems quite well written. It seems to show the good and bad of Peter Beard. He was an interesting character, knew a ton of people, had a ton of experiences, etc.

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earlier this year, I read "Wild: The Life of Peter Beard: Photographer, Adventurer, Lover" by Graham Boynton, and while it was a well-researched book and it did hit on some of the more disagreeable aspects of Beard's character, it didn't begin to plum the depths of conflict within the man. Someone so verbally loud about the dwindling of the planet's resources and life, yet leaving a social status carbon footprint wider than any damage done to Africa's landscape. It's easy to live in the wild when you can get out at whim and land in Manhattan eating at the finest restaurants (and never picking up the tab) or with it's social elite while flapping around the city in worn sandals during winter. I've known quite a few of these Peter Pan men in my life and there is absolutely nothing appealing about them, despite the author stressing just how good looking Beard was, and I'm sure he left only a slightly chewed corpse, just yards from his home.

At least in this book, the author does baldly state some of his subject's worst behaviors and beliefs and doesn't let him totally off of the hook. To me most of Beard's attention and fame came from his appearance and his family's wealth. Both books ask the question, "How (and will) his art be remembered?" My guess is very little over time, and the more time that passes, just a faded footnote. He was poison to women, that's for sure. Pretty poison.

[James B. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t know much about Peter Beard before I picked up this book, and I truly wish I hadn’t bothered. I knew the name because I’m interested in the Beale family, and Beard was a lover of their cousin, Lee Radziwill.

While the book is well written, Beard comes across as a superficially talented, but thoroughly noxious figure. A fashionable nihilist who cares for nothing and no one.

I then came across the TIME piece written by the psychotherapist Charlotte Fox Weber which details her relationship with Beard when she was a young woman. The bigger question for me now, having read both this book, and Fox Weber’s shocking article is why do we as a culture continue to celebrate and almost mythologise certain figures who abuse women? It seems as long as you’re an artist, anything goes. A portrait of a thinly talented and ultimately forgettable man, and worse than that, an apologia for violent misogyny. I wish I hadn’t wasted my time.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a fan of Peter so I was interested to explore more about his life. A lot of which I knew and found it interesting that the author was cut off from primary resources after Peter died. The book lacked photos to reinforce who was present in the book. Being a visual artist it was necessary to depict for the reader.

The book demonstrated the alternate aspects of the subject and shows that no one is all or nothing. There were challenging aspects to the subject which made him difficult to endear but also made him passionate. He came from privilege which made him part of an exclusive group but he also wanted to have an impact which he did.

I came away still respecting what he achieved albeit not impressed with other aspects of the Man...but who among us is universally good and adored?

[Rhonda Lomazow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating man so multifaceted so interesting.A truly talented photographer a handsome man with many well known women as love in his life.I really enjoyed reading about him an interesting look at this well known man .#netgalley #eccobooks

[William Dury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andy Warhol once wrote in his diary, “Mick [Jagger] arrived so drunk from an afternoon with Peter Beard and Francis Bacon that he fell asleep on my bed,” p 127.

Don’t forget about going to the bullfight with Picasso or Jackie setting him up with her married sister.

[Cynthia Rappaport · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only thing worth reading about Peter Beard is this: https://time.com/6287209/charlotte-fo...

[Eddy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read about Beard’s abuse of Charlotte Fox Weber first: https://time.com/6287209/charlotte-fo...

[Connor Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

What should be a wild story of a wild man felt some what ruined by needlessly wordy and disjointed storytelling

[Beau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Beard was an interesting guy, but this book suffers from logorrhea by the author

[Gracie Wiener · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Jack Strohman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing was decent and I’d be lying to say some of the stories weren’t interesting but not nearly as complex a subject as the book makes him out to be imo.

[Jose Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not as good as the other Peter Beard biography.

[Coco Spagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating life and circle Peter inhabited; the amount of art history style writing would have benefited from accompanying photograph index pages; only complaint was how obsessively complementary the author is of Peter in the first 2/3rds then switches to tone of critical distain

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher Wallace’s new book on the life of Peter Beard might be the best portrayal of this great and highly misunderstood photographer. Wow, what a jet setter! Whether flying back and forth to Africa or hanging out at the Clubs in New York City, Peter Beard seemed to be everywhere at once. He was equally at home in Kenya as he was on the beaches on Montawk. Too bad he wasn’t nicer to all of those who admired him. It turns out he was quite a user. The author opens up a whole new cans of worms in the way that Peter.Beard lived. Previously known as a great photographer, this book reveals his poor relationships with his friends and family. Insightful, harrowing, depressing and enlightening, the author has revealed the many different sides of Peter Beard. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for the ARC…this book was fantastic!