Vali Myers (2 August 1930 – 12 February 2003) was an Australian artist, dancer, bohemian and muse whose coverage by the media was mostly in 1950s and 1960s in Europe and the United States.

Early life

Myers was born in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, on 2 August 1930, to a violinist mother and marine wireless operator father. She displayed a talent for art at an early age. The family moved to Box Hill,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1941 and Myers left home at 14. After working in factories to support her dance lessons, she became immersed in dance and later became the leading dancer for the Melbourne Modern Ballet Company. In 1949 at age 19 Myers travelled to impoverished post-war Paris to pursue a dance career but found herself living on the streets of the

Saint-Germain-des-Prés Saint-Germain-des-Prés () is one of the four administrative quarters of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Its official borders are the River Seine on the north ...

Quarter on the Left Bank. ''Love on the Left Bank'' is a 1954 book of photographs from Dutch photographer

Ed van der Elsken Eduard van der Elsken (10 March 1925 – 28 December 1990) was a Dutch photographer and filmmaker. His imagery provides quotidian, intimate and autobiographic perspectives on the European zeitgeist spanning the period of the Second World War in ...

(1925–1990), documenting the bohemian life on the

Rive Gauche The Rive Gauche (, ''Left Bank'') is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two parts. When facing downstream, the southern bank is to the left, and the northern bank (or ''Rive D ...

of Paris; Myers is the heroine of this semi-biographical ''

roman à clef ''Roman à clef'' (, anglicised as ), French for ''novel with a key'', is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship ...

'', and is also photographed along with some of her early drawings.

Career

Myers was a flamboyant fantasy artist who worked in pen and ink and watercolour as well as being a nightclub dancer. She divided her life between her adopted home of Melbourne, the

Hotel Chelsea The Hotel Chelsea (also the Chelsea Hotel or the Chelsea) is a hotel in Manhattan, New York City, built between 1883 and 1885. The 250-unit hotel is located at 222 West 23rd Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, in the neighborhood of Ch ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, a 14th-century cottage at Il Porto, near

Positano Positano (Campanian: ) is a village and ''comune'' on the Amalfi Coast (Province of Salerno), in Campania, Italy, mainly in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. Climate The climate of Positano is very mild, of the Mediterranean ...

and a residence in Paris. Her art works developed from early detailed monochromes to a full range of vibrant colours and tones extending to watercolour and gold leaf, displaying a "fastidiously rendered depiction of a personal spirit world". She was acquainted with many celebrities including

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album '' Horses''. Called the "punk poe ...

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...

and

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...

. Myers' paintings have sold for up to $US40,000 ($A68,000) in New York. Her work was held in the Stuyvesant collection in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, New York's Hurryman Collection, and is owned by private collectors such as

George Plimpton George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American writer. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found ''The Paris Review'', as well as his patrician demeanor and accent. He was also known for " ...

and

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Personal life

While in Europe she married Rudi Rappold, an Austrian from Vienna, and moved to

. The marriage ended, and later her lover, Italian artist Gianni Menichetti moved in and helped turn the property into a wildlife sanctuary that was endorsed by the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

. Later, after she began having seizures, she returned to Melbourne in 1993, and opened a studio in the

Nicholas Building The Nicholas Building is a landmark historic office and retail building located at 37 Swanston St, at the intersection of Swanston Street and Flinders Lane, in the Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. Designed by architect H ...

; only returning to Positano occasionally.

Death

Vali Myers died in Melbourne on 12 February 2003 shortly after being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 72. On 18 January 2003, a month before Myers' death, ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' newspaper printed an article about her life. The article concluded with the following quote from Myers:

I've had 72 absolutely flaming years. It he illnessdoesn't bother me at all, 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 the world and then you go."

LUMA

An exhibition of her work was held at LUMA (La Trobe University Museum of Art) in 2013. The show, ''Between Dusk and Dawn'' was a personal retrospective that included works from private collections in the US and Europe and ran in September and October.

Books

* Myers, Vali, 1930–2003 ''Drawings 1949–79'' / Vali Myers. London : Open House, 1980 : * Macintosh, M. & Jones, G. (ed), "Night Flower: The Life and Art of Vali Myers" Melbourne : Outre Gallery Press, 2012 : * Menichetti, Gianni, ''Vali Myers Memoirs'' Fresno, CA : Golda Foundation, 2006 : * Van Der Elsken, Ed, ''Love on the Left Bank'' Amsterdam : Bezige Bij, 1956 :

Filmography

* ''Vali, The Witch of Positano'' – 1965. A film by Sheldon and Diane Rochlin, co-Produced by

. Winner, Documentary Film Category, 1965 Mannheim Film Festival. (Duration: 65 minutes) * ''The Invasion of Thunderbolt Pagoda'' – 1968. Experimental film by

Ira Cohen Ira Cohen (February 3, 1935 – April 25, 2011) was an American poet, publisher, photographer and filmmaker. Cohen lived in Morocco and in New York City in the 1960s, he was in Kathmandu in the 1970s and traveled the world in the 1980s, before ...

. (Duration: 22 minutes) * ''Dope'' – 1968. A film by Sheldon and Diane Rochlin. A documentary about a young London woman's drug addiction in the late 1960s. Vali Myers appears in scenes throughout the documentary. * ''Vali: Death in Port Jackson Hotel'' – 1971. A film by

. Features Vali in her "savage paradise", Il Porto, the canyon near Positano where she created her artwork. (Duration: 36 minutes) * ''Patti and Vali'' – 1973. A short film/documentary by Sandra Dailey. The film shows

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 film-maker

Ruth Cullen Ruth Cullen is an Australian-based documentary maker who has been making films since 1989 when she directed and produced the acclaimed documentary ''The Tightrope Dancer'' about the artist Vali Myers Vali Myers (2 August 1930 – 12 February ...

. (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)

Legacy

* Vali Myers was a huge inspiration to the young Patti Smith, whose walls were covered in pictures of and by Vali Myers. When they met in New York, Vali tattooed Patti with a lightning bolt on her knee cap. This was filmed by Sandra Dailey who also filmed the infamous piercing of

Robert Mapplethorpe Robert Michael Mapplethorpe (; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-p ...

's nipple.from ''Patti Smith: A Biography'' (1997) by Nick Johnstone Omnibus Press, UK paperback. * Vali was the inspiration behind the character of Carol in

' play ''

Orpheus Descending ''Orpheus Descending'' is a three-act play by Tennessee Williams. It was first presented on Broadway on March 17, 1957 but had only a brief run (68 performances) and modest success. It was revived on Broadway in 1989, directed by Peter Hall an ...

''. * Vali is also mentioned in

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

's 1994 autobiography ''Faithfull''. * The song "Ballerina Valerie" by

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

is about Vali. * British singer

Florence Welch Florence Leontine Mary Welch (born 28 August 1986) is an English singer, the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the indie rock band Florence and the Machine. The band's debut studio album, ''Lungs'' (2009), topped the UK Albums Chart and wo ...

stated that Vali was a big influence for

Florence and The Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...

's third studio album, '' How Big How Blue How Beautiful''. * Vali Myers was the inspiration of the Ching Ho Cheng painting "Queenie" which is in the permanent collection at the

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, located in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on the city's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian ...

References

Sources

*
Obituary
by Clayton Patterson from ''Skin and Ink'' magazine, 2004

on the relationship between Vali Myers and Patti Smith
Vali Myers official website
administrated by the Vali Myers Art Gallery Trust in Australia
Director Ruth Cullen's
official website * Work wit

* Official Website o
Ed van der Elsken

Ching Ho Cheng, Official Website: Cleveland Museum of Art

External links

Multimedia magazine ''Aspen'' no. 9, published in 1971
Features a letter to friends Diane & Shelley from Vali, with photographs
Review of Gianni Manichetti's biography of Vali Meyers by Louise Landes Levi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Vali 1930 births 2003 deaths Modern artists Deaths from cancer in Victoria (Australia) Australian women painters 20th-century Australian painters 20th-century Australian women artists