Amanda Lear

Amanda Lear is the daughter of an Englishman and a Russian exile. She studied art in Paris and in the 60s moved to London. During this period she got to know the most prominent designers, musicians and artists belonging to the artistic circles she frequented. Her preferences were predominantly for the Surrealist movement and for bodily expression, since she has also studied the art of mime. The meeting with Dali changed her life. In the following 15 years she became the only woman friend, the muse and confidant of the great artist and his wife Gala. She lived in their house in Cadaquès (Spain) and accompanied them when they moved to New York and Paris in the winter. Although he had declared that a woman should never paint, Dali became her mentor, allowing her to work alongside him and teaching her all she knows about art and its techniques. He took her to visit all the great museums of the world, acting as her guide in the discovery of artists from his own highly individual point of view. Famous throughout the world as a pop singer, she soared to celebrity when her first song entered the international hit parades, but this not lead her to neglect the passion of her life: painting. In 1980 she had her first show in Rotterdam. Encouraged by the success of this and the publicity generated by the media, she went on to display in Paris, Berlin, Milan and Geneva, attracting the attention of the European collectors. She likes to recall the fact that she waited 20 years before having the chance to show her paintings and she is grateful to Dali for having been her friend and teacher. Pop icon Amanda Lear has recorded 15 studio albums and has released some 60 singles to date and has so far sold approximately 15 million albums and 25-30 million singles worldwide. Her latest album has been released at the end of November 2009: Brand New Love Affair with the single Brand New Love Affair (In The Mix) and later I'm Coming Up.