Klaus Nomi Overview

Klaus Nomi was one of the most bizarre artists in the notably strange New York underground scene in the 1970s. He moved from Germany to New York in 1972, and began singing professionally after a performance in which he sang opera and disappeared in a burst of light and smoke. Nomi's style mixed pop, glam rock, and opera with baroque costumes and silent-movie mannerisms. He performed with David Bowie, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and others. Nomi died of AIDS in 1983, and his ashes were scattered over New York. His influence is visible in the work of designers like Gareth Pugh and Jean Paul Gaultier.