Vali Myers

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Vali Myers (August 2, 1930) – (February 12, 2003) was an Australian artist who specialized in fine pen and ink drawings, born in Canterbury, Sydney.

Vali was a flamboyant artist who divided her life between her adopted home of Melbourne, the Hotel Chelsea in New York City, and a 14th centuary cottage in her valley near Il Porto, Italy. She was acquainted with Tennessee Williams, Salvador Dalí, Django Reinhardt, Jean Cocteau, and Jean Genet, among many others. Vali died in Melbourne after a short battle with cancer at the age of 72.

On the 18th January 2003 The Age newspaper printed an article about the artist's life. The article concluded with the following quote from Vali Myers. "I've had 72 absolutely flaming years. It doesn't bother me at all (the illness), because, you know love, when you've lived like I have, you've done it all. I put all my effort into living; any dope can drop dead. I'm in the hospital now, and I guess I'll kick the bucket here. Every beetle does it, every bird, everybody. You come into world and then you go."

Contents 1 Filmography 2 Trivia 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Filmography

• Vali - 1965. A film by Shelton Rochlin. Co-Produced by George Plimpton. Winner, Documentary Film Category, 1965 Mannheim Film Festival. (Duration : 65 minutes)

• "The Invasion of Thunderbolt Pagoda - 1968. Experimental film by Ira Cohen. (Duration : 22 minutes)

• Vali: Death in Port Jackson Hotel - 1971. A film by Ed van der Elsken. features Vali in her "savage paradise" Il Porto, the canyon near Positano where she created her artwork. (Duration : 36 minutes)

• Patti and Valli - 1973. A short film/documentary by Sandra Dailey. The film shows Patti Smith having her knee cap tattooed by Vali, and also features an off screen commentary by Smith. (Duration : 30 minutes)

• Vali: The Tightrope Dancer - 1989. A documentary by Australian filmmaker Ruth Cullen. (Duration : 58 minutes)

• Painted Lady - 2002. Ruth Cullen's follow up to The Tightrope Dancer, a documentary that follows Vali at her studio and with friends like Lee Fuhler (Duration : 27 minutes)

[edit] Trivia

• Love on the Left Bank is a 1954 book of photographs from Dutch photographer Ed van der Elsken (1925-1990) , documenting the bohemian life on the Rive Gauche of Paris. Vali Myers is shown throughout the book, along with some of her early drawings.

[edit] References

• Smith, Bernard; with Terry Smith & Christopher Heathcote (2001). Australian Painting 1788-2000. Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press, 630p. ISBN 0-19-551554-4. 

[edit] External links

• Vali Myers Studio Gallery
• Multimedia magazine Aspen no. 9, published in 1971 Features a letter to friends Diane & Shelley from Vali, with photographs
• A LiveJournal Community dedicated to Vali Myers