Monday, April 20, 2020

Peter Beard, Wildlife Photographer on the Wild Side, Dies at 82

Peter Beard

Peter Beard, Wildlife

Photographer on

the Wild Side, Dies at 82

Earlier this month came distressing news from Long Island. Artist and photographer Peter Beard, best-known for his book The End of the Game and his efforts as a champion of conservation, had gone missing near his home. On April 12, Beard’s family issued a statement via a spokesperson noting that “while they continue to hope and pray for his safety, they have been advised that each passing day darkens the prospect of his safe return.”

This weekend, the news of Beard’s disappearance took a sad turn. Earlier today, Page Six reported that Beard’s body had been found in Montauk:

Peter Beard

A Montauk hunter stumbled on clothing “consistent with” what Beard was wearing when he disappeared, and human remains fitting the missing elderly photographer’s description were soon found, according to the East Hampton Police Department.

Peter Beard

Later in the day, Beard’s family confirmed that the body was his.

The spokesperson for the Beard family, in the April 12 statement, spoke of Beard as “an extraordinary artist, an insatiable traveler, a hero of the conservation movement, a lover of life, of Africa, of adventure, of his family and friends.”

Writing in 2016 about a retrospective exhibit of Beard’s work, Ryan Steadman drew attention to another side of Beard’s art. “[T]hough Beard might have, as a young man, gotten into this racket for the thrills, he’s quietly become something else: a hardworking artist who’s both a family man and a fierce conservationist,” Steadman wrote.

Beard maintained close relationships with a broad range of artists — including the Rolling Stones and transgressive painter Francis Bacon. He leaves behind a rich and complex artistic legacy — and a distinctive approach to both photography and conversation.

NEWS BRIG