BillyBoy* | |
|---|---|
 BillyBoy* in Munich, 1988 | |
| Born | 10 March 1960 [1] [2] |
| Citizenship | Switzerland |
| Occupation(s) | Artist, [3] costume jewellery and fashion design |
| Years active | c.1974—present |
| Organization(s) | Surreal Couture, Mdvanii, Surreal Bijoux, Foundation Tanagra |
| Notable work | Barbie: Her Life and Times [4] |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Pierre Lestrade ("Lala", 2012–) [5] |
BillyBoy* (born 10 March 1960) [1] [2] is an American artist, socialite and fashion designer who was a muse of Andy Warhol. [3] [5] [4] [6] Born in Vienna, he was adopted by a Russian couple who moved to New York City when he was four.
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In 1979 BillyBoy* began to design and manufacture costume jewellery under the label Surreal Bijoux in Paris. [7]
A bracelet made by BillyBoy* and owned by Elizabeth Taylor was sold at auction in 2011 for $6,875. [8]
BillyBoy* had a collection of over 11,000 Barbie dolls and 3,000 Ken dolls, and in 1987 authored the book Barbie: Her Life and Times. [4] During 1984–1990 Mattel sponsored two tours called Le nouveau théâtre de la mode (New Theatre of Fashion) curated by BillyBoy*. Like the original 1945 exhibit Théâtre de la Mode , the exhibitions consisted of hundreds of dolls—in this case Barbie dolls—wearing miniature outfits made by Yves Saint Laurent and other prominent fashion designers. [9] [10] The exhibition toured France on board a TGV-train entitled Le Train magique des jouets Mattel.. [10] BillyBoy* designed two Barbie dolls for Mattel working as a designer and consultant, "Le Nouveau Théâtre de la mode" in 1984 and "Feelin' Groovy" in 1986. [11] [12] After finishing working with Mattel, BillyBoy* formed the "BillyBoy* Toys" company, [12] and in 1989 BillyBoy* and his partner released the Mdvanii fashion doll.
Warhol's last work Barbie, Portrait of BillyBoy* was a painting of BillyBoy* depicted as a Barbie doll and was presented to BillyBoy* in New York on 10 February 1986. [6] [12] [13] The painting was gifted to BillyBoy* and hung in his living room. [12] In 2014 the painting sold at the auction house Christie's for £722,500 ($1,161,780). [14] [15] A second version of Warhol's painting, this time with an orange-red background instead of blue, was created for and purchased by Mattel. [13] [15]
In 1978 or 1979 BillyBoy* moved to Paris, [7] where later his shop would be at 6 Rue de la Paix, Paris. [16] In 1993 BillyBoy* and his partner Jean Pierre Lestrade ("Lala") moved to Trouville-sur-Mer in France, [17] then in 1997 to Switzerland, [18] [17] and finally in 2011 to Delémont, [18] the capital of the Canton of Jura [18] and near Basel. On 6 February 2012 BillyBoy* and Jean Pierre Lestrade married at the L’Hôtel de Ville in Délémont. [5]
On 13 February 1998 BillyBoy* and Lestrade founded the Fondation Tanagra non-profit in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland. [19] In 2012 the website of the Foundation was updated to reflect the creation of a future museum in Delémont. [20]
