I often find these kinds of lists floating around the net, but they are often not very concise and don't include people from all professions and countries. I have done my best to include some of them I can think of who has had a major impact on our lives and has consequently garnered fame.
Hopefully, I can make this list into one of many . Also, please note there is no ranking system. I have merely added them as I think of them, as opposed to ranking them by fame. My criteria has only one limitation: they must have passed on before 30 years old. Their nationality and reason for being "nationally" famous is irrelevant, as long as they are well known, they are suitable for adding.
A surprising number (in earlier times of course) fell victim to tuberculosis or other now-curable or preventable diseases. Others (roughly 20) were victims of hazardous travel and unsanitary conditions in Rome during sojourns anywhere long time ago.
Of course, there is no shortage of cases where drugs and alcohol were a main cause of early death, playing into the trope of the “tortured artist.” One thing that immediately leaps out is there are far more male artists profiled here than female. its is a fact that we must considered and asked before a judge of them we make. Here the fascinated subject is that all where at the best time of their career, impulse to imbue their subjects and the art they created with abiding honour recognition, and consolation.
Jeanne Hébuterne, age 21 (1889-1920)
You may not be familiar with her name, but Jeanne Hebuterne’s face has graced more than 20 canvases in portraits painted by her lover, Amedeo Modigliani. The young artist met Modigliani—a hedonistic enfant terrible of the art world who was 14 years her senior—while she was studying at the Académie Colarossi in Paris, and was immediately swept into his orbit.
Though her later paintings showed some influence of Modigliani, Jeanne had her own distinct style that was more indebted to Matisse and the Fauves. In a self-portrait that was sold at Christie’s Paris in 2018, Jeanne stares frankly from the canvas at the viewer with a challenging gaze, wearing what appears to be a kimono, lending it the feeling of a boudoir portrait.
With only about 25 paintings to her name, Hebuterne’s story was eclipsed by that of her prolific lover and her life as a mother to his child. In January 1920, Modigliani died of meningitis brought on by his tuberculosis. Less than 48 hours later, Hebuterne, overwhelmed with grief, threw herself from the window of her parents apartment, she was nor more with Modigliani, thought he was poor and ill, Jeanne killing herself and her unborn child.
Jean Michel Basquiat, age 27 (1960-1988)
He is arguably the most famous auction artist and his meteoric rise to fame in the New York art world during the 1980s has been well-documented. Born in Brooklyn, Basquiat was of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent and his rebellious streak saw him take to the streets where he splashed his “SAMO” graffiti tag around prominently before getting noticed by the cognoscenti and given gratis studio space in the gallery of iconic dealer Anina Nosei.
Basquiat was famous in his own short lifetime and even collaborated with fellow art star Andy Warhol. Since his death from a heroin overdose at the age of 27, in April 1988, his work has become ever more popular and sought after. According to the Artnet Price Database, the ten highest works sold at auction each made over $30 million. The highest price ever paid for a Basquiat painting was $110.5 million at Sotheby’s in 2017. Japanese fashion mogul Yusaka Maezawa was the buyer.
Egon Schiele, age 28 (1890-1918)
Schiele played a major role in Austrian Expressionism and began his career as a protege of Gustav Klimt. He was extremely prolific, having created around 3,000 drawings during his lifetime. But the subject matter proved controversial—particularly erotic images of contorted and often sexually explicit nudes. The minors and young prostitutes who frequented his studio didn’t exactly help his reputation either.
In 1912, he was charged with abducting and seducing an underaged girl. The charges were eventually dropped but he was sentenced to 24 days in jail for exhibiting erotic art to children. The judge even burned a drawing in court.
In 1915, he married Edith Harms. She was six months pregnant with their first child, in 1918, when both she and the artist contracted the Spanish flu. They died within days of one another. One of the artist’s last drawings is Edith Schiele on Her Deathbed.
Bob Thompson, age 28 (1937-1966)
The African American painter was influenced by a range of historical styles and types of art, from the baroque to Fauvism to Abstract Expressionism to jazz music. The result was a distinctive style marked by flatly painted, primary coloured abstracted figures acting out narratives from mythology and the Bible.
Thompson received accolades during his lifetime, including a solo show at Martha Jackson Gallery in New York in 1963. He won several grants and fellowships that allowed him to take extended trips to Europe.
He battled depression from a young age and often turned to drugs and alcohol as a way of dealing. He died in Rome as a result of a heroin overdose. He was prolific and produced nearly 1,000 paintings during his lifetime, many of which now hang in prestigious private and museum collections.
Edie Sedgwick, age 28
(1943-1971)
Edie Sedgwick died on November 16, 1971 when she was 28 years old. She died during her sleep and was found with large amounts of drugs and alcohol in her system.
Edith Minturn Sedgwick was an American actress and fashion model. She is best known for being one of Andy Warhol's superstars. Sedgwick became known as "The Girl of the Year" in 1965 after starring in several of Warhol's short films in the 1960s. She was dubbed an "it Girl", while Vogue magazine also named her a "Youthquaker". An "it girl" like Edie was an attractive young woman, she was a celebrity, who was perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that was especially engaging.
Jimi Hendrix, 27
(1942,1970)
Jimi Hendrix died on September 18, 1970 at the age of 27. His cause of death is disputed, but the coroner believed that he choked to death on his own vomit.
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. His mainstream career lasted only four years, but he is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in history and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as "the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music".Born in Seattle, Washington, Hendrix began playing guitar at age 15. In 1961, he enlisted in the Army and trained as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, but he was discharged the following year.
When Hendrix drank in excess or mixed drugs with alcohol, often he became angry and violent. His friend Herbie Worthington said Hendrix "simply turned into a bastard" when he drank." According to friend Sharon Lawrence, liquor "set off a bottled-up anger, a destructive fury he almost never displayed otherwise".
In January 1968, the Experience travelled to Sweden to start a one-week tour of Europe. During the early morning hours of the first day, Hendrix got into a drunken brawl in the Hotel Opalen in Gothenburg smashing a plate-glass window and injuring his right hand, for which he received medical treatment.
The incident culminated in his arrest and release, pending a court appearance that resulted in a large fine.
All know as the famous "27 Club".
The '27 Club' is a cultural phenomenon, highlighting the musicians, artists, actors and athletes who died at the age around 27, with many of the deaths linked to high-risk lifestyles, including suicide, homicide, drug, and alcohol abuse, or accidents and illness.
Nely L. Friedrich
May 28 Th. 2021
Comments