Leigh Bowery: Prints and Tate Modern Show

Leigh Bowery with blue paint dripping over his head, white face make-up and a green satin jacket — Fergus Greer, *Leigh Bowery Session I, Look 2*, 1988. Photo courtesy Tate. © Fergus Greer. Framed by CoolCuration.

Last updated: 27 October 2026

Leigh Bowery was the Australian-born performer, designer and club promoter who turned clothes, make-up and his own body into art in 1980s London. Here you will find our take on his work, the Tate Modern show and the prints you can buy.

Our take on Leigh Bowery

Bowery treated clothing and make-up as painting and sculpture, according to Tate. He worked as an artist, performer, model, club promoter, fashion designer and musician, and performed in clubs, galleries, theatres and on the street.

He founded the London club Taboo in 1985, and used to say nothing was taboo there. Boy George called him “modern art on legs!”, as Tate Kids records.

His looks were recorded by photographers including Fergus Greer and Nick Knight, and he sat for Lucian Freud. The way in now is Greer’s Tate edition, or a print of Freud’s painting of him from the Tate shop.

Leigh Bowery: the essentials

Born in Sunshine, Australia, in 1961; died on New Year’s Eve 1994 from an AIDS-related illness, according to Tate.
Founded the London club Taboo in 1985.
Collaborated with the choreographer Michael Clark, the film-maker John Maybury and the photographer Fergus Greer, and sat for Lucian Freud.
Tate names Alexander McQueen, Anohni and Lady Gaga among those he influenced.

Leigh Bowery exhibitions

Leigh Bowery!, Tate Modern, London, 27 February to 31 August 2025.
No new show has been announced.

Where to buy a Leigh Bowery print

Two prints connected to Bowery are on sale in the UK:

Fergus Greer, Leigh Bowery, Session II, Look 10, 1989, £320: pigment print, 63.5 x 50.8 cm (25 x 20 in), edition of 100, signed and numbered, from the Tate shop. See our Fergus Greer print page.
Lucian Freud, Leigh Bowery, from £30: a made-to-order print of Freud’s 1991 painting, in your choice of size and frame, from the Tate shop.

Leigh Bowery prints and editions on CoolCuration

Fergus Greer’s portrait of Leigh Bowery in a cream bodysuit and ruffled orange headpiece, from the Tate Modern limited edition print series

Fergus Greer Leigh Bowery Print – £320

Leigh Bowery FAQs

Who was Leigh Bowery?

An Australian-born artist, performer, designer and club promoter who worked in London from the 1980s until his death in 1994.

What club did Leigh Bowery run?

Taboo, which he founded in London in 1985.

Can I buy a Leigh Bowery print?

Yes. The Tate shop sells Fergus Greer’s photograph of Bowery as a signed edition of 100 for £320, and prints of Lucian Freud’s painting of him from £30.

When was the Leigh Bowery show at Tate Modern?

Leigh Bowery! ran from 27 February to 31 August 2025.

Leigh Bowery