Historical gay art
Male Homosexuality in Western Art
Homosexuality is still an underrepresented topic in art historical discourse. Since our magazine stands for inclusivity, we aspire to present to you works that might be omitted in a traditional art history course. We have already published a piece on lesbianism in art. Today it’s time for male homosexuality in art.
Ancient Education
Warren Cup, named after its first modern owner, depicts a typical Roman banquet scene: probably an older, or more experienced human, engages in sex with a beardless younger man. Such practices were very common in Roman high society. Older men picked adolescent boys to mentor and educate them in the art of loving and living. They would grant political shape in return for physical pleasures. Firstly, they would all participate in a feast, eat and drink (from cups like this one), the young boys entertaining the older men with their singing, dancing and recital of poetry (you can observe the lyre on the left). Homosexuality was so much part of everyday life to the extent that the Romans didn’t even have a synonyms for it.
Not So Holy Middle Ages?
With the growing authority of the Catholic Church, the approac
Ten Pioneering Works of Queer Art That Changed History
Art & PhotographyAnOther List
As Tate's history-making exhibition opens tomorrow, we preview ten of the groundbreaking pieces that feature in the show
TextAndy Stewart MacKay
Tate Britain’s groundbreaking exhibition Queer British Art 1861-1967 – unimaginable not so very long ago – focusses on art produced in a hundred-year period from the repeal of the old ‘Buggery Act’ in 1861 to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967. This unusual and timely exhibition explores how covert love and want were expressed in a dangerously repressive culture where organism ‘queer’ could direct to imprisonment and death. Inspired by the sense of liberation artist Derek Jarman experienced in reclaiming a frightening and derogatory pos, ‘queer’ is now – as curator Clare Barlow points out – an inclusive critical frame of reference for ‘fluid identities and experiences’ that plunge outside mainstream traditions of gender and sexuality and one that should be celebrated.
For audiences, lgbtq+ or otherwise, art is about recognition. Consciously or not we strive to recognise in works of art something of our hold feelings, experie
Some LGBTQA+ artists have achieved world-renowned fame: Tom of Finland, David Hockney, Claude Cahun, and Glück, to name a few. However, there are many others whose work is less well-known but who provide important glimpses into the lives and struggles of their community. These artists showcase the sexual, secretive, radical/political, and heart wrenching-moments that many, if not all, members in the community have experienced. Moreover, there is still a stigma that clouds over both LGBTQA+ artists and the art itself. Fortunately, here at Thomas J. Watson Library, we harvest an encyclopedic and comprehensive collection of materials on the history of art in the world. Our online catalogue provides a great starting place to find an ample amount of materials to scout LGBTQA+ art. Here are a few to gain you started!
Jarrett Key is a Brooklyn-based visual creator. In his artist's novel Trans (see above), Key explores signs and symbols with relation to non-binary and gender identities and public restrooms.
Zanele Muholui is a South African creator whose photobook, Faces and Phases, presents portraits of black lesbian women, trans-men, and gay men, who are resisting
Out West: Gay and Woman loving woman Artists in the Southwest 1900-1969
Out West surveys the work of gay and lesbian artists in the American Southwest from the early twentieth century through the Stonewall Riots of 1969, when the face of queer visibility changed dramatically in the Joined States. While some artists built lives for themselves in states less welcoming to queer people, other areas, including northern Fresh Mexico promised freedom and a sense of community denied to them elsewhere. Queer communities played a significant role in developing the art communities throughout this region, although this influence is rarely acknowledged. Yet even in the most open communities, the impact of these early gay artists has yet to be fully recognized. In his engaging memoir Unbuttoned: Gay Life in the Santa Fe Art Scene, Walter Cooper laments: “So much of our queer history has been swept under the rug, it’s almost as if we never existed. People tend to underrate or ignore ‘the lgbtq+ factor,’ the enormous impact homosexual folk have made on Modern Mexico’s unique cultural life.”
Out West recognizes the contributions of gay and lesbian artists to the history of