‘Life’s Too Short For Pigeonholing’: We Chat To Sculptor & Performer Andrew Logan

At 80, mirror-mosaic maestro Andrew Logan remains Britain’s great optimist, says Charlotte Metcalf.

Interview: Andrew Logan

Andrew Logan arrives in his signature hat, brooch and layers of glorious colour. In 2025 he turned 80, an event marked by an exhibition at the Rebecca Hossack Gallery featuring a mirrored throne, mobiles, sculptures and brooches. It was a reminder of how original and influential his contribution to British art has been.

He started dressing distinctively at 15. ‘I rummaged in jumble sales and converted my finds with dye and my mother’s manual sewing machine,’ he says. ‘My clothes are theatrical but made to last forever, and my jewellery’s hard-wearing enough to survive a washing machine or a lorry driving over it.’

Logan grew up in Witney in what he calls ‘the wild beautiful Cotswolds‘, the middle son of five boys and an adopted sister. ‘We didn’t have a lot of money, but received lots of love and guidance,’ he says. All siblings – the eldest is 86 – remain alive and close, having had careers ranging from Morris dancer to nuclear submarine commander. ‘Peter, the second brother down, was the first to reveal serious artistic talent and was at The Slade with Derek Jarman and Maggi Hambling,’ Logan says. ‘But I wanted to help humanity by designing houses so everyone had somewhere to live.’ Armed only with brass rubbings from his local church, he failed to gain entry to a London architecture school but landed a place at Oxford Polytechnic.

After a year in the US and towards the end of his five years in Oxford, he started making things – prompted by an acid trip. ‘It was very controlled – just half a tab,’ he grins. He describes throwing an orange at the wall. ‘It seemed to keep going forever and that totally changed my perspective and gave me huge confidence to do absolutely anything.’

His first major piece was the transformation of a 1940s wall-mounted oyster-shell light using glue, cardboard and mirror. In 1970 Jasia Reichardt asked Logan to design one of Ten Sitting Rooms at the Institute of Contemporary Arts: ‘I basically brought Oxfordshire to London and created a room with a hill, waterfall, cocktail cabinet covered in artificial grass, life-sized horse and a wind-up gramophone playing 78s.’

‘In the seventies the action was at Andy Warhol’s Factory, so London was a cheap, empty playground,’ he remembers. ‘I was squatting and a gang of us, including Derek Jarman, were moving around having fun.’ Logan found a disused jigsaw factory on Downham Road, Hackney, where he staged the first Alternative Miss World in 1972. ‘The idea came after I’d been to Crufts and thought Miss World should be like that – judged on poise, personality and originality, with no barrier to age, gender or colour.’ There have since been 15 contests, some in vast venues such as Olympia’s Grand Hall, complete with big wheel and roundabout, or Shakespeare’s Globe.

In 2015 Logan left London after 26 years in his Bermondsey Glass House. Why? ‘Because of The Shard. It’s fascinating and beautiful but I hate the money and greed it represents.’

With Michael Davis, his partner of 54 years, Logan now lives in rural Wales. ‘A whole generation of us was wiped out by AIDS but we’re so lucky to still be here and dedicated to each other. Our home is a beautiful 400-year-old building next to converted squash courts that house our museum. Because my work is all about joy and is my legacy to the world, I wanted somewhere where people can always see it.’

He continues collaborating with designers such as Stella McCartney and most recently with Taiwanese designer Meihui Liu, modelling one of her frock coats. ‘I love it when fashion, art and performance melt into one. Life’s too short for pigeonholing. We should embrace everything. I tell young artists to open themselves up so everything can pour in. Stay closed and you’ll stay fearful like 99 percent of the population. I dress like this because I love people saying, “You’ve made my day!” I can do very little to change anything, so my purpose is to bring joy.’

In Brief

A book that changed me was… Tahir Shah’s In Arabian Nights. We stayed with him in Casablanca and I love the concept of continuation and the fact that the book never really ends.

If I could have one painting it would be… Something by the Aboriginal artist Emily Kam Kngwarray – she addresses the universe.

My ideal dinner companion is… My partner, Michael Davis.

The last film I saw was… The Sound of Music commemorative performance at the Curzon.

My desert island disc is… Something by my friend Brian Eno.

And my favourite building? The Taj Mahal – a jewel of perfection.