Robert Diamond, Curator: "Revealed: The Tradition of Male Homoerotic Art", May 11-29, 2010

From the Leslie/Lohman Gallery:

Robert Mapplethorpe's frank depiction of gay male sexuality both fascinated and shocked viewers when his retrospective exhibition, The Perfect Moment, opened around the U.S. from 1989 to 1990. In the twenty years since then, Mapplethorpe's renown has grown, but his art often elicits the same ambivalent response today. Yet, even Mapplethorpe's most notorious photography shares the same homoerotic intent as the artwork of one of the most revered masters of Western Art, Michelangelo, and of many others.

This exhibition, Revealed: The Tradition of Male Homoerotic Art, not only shows the similarities between Michelangelo and Mapplethorpe; it also asserts an artistic tradition of male homoerotic intent by gathering images of same sex desire that evolved over time from something secretive, suppressed, and suggested into something public, accessible, and explicit.

These paraphrased paragraphs from the curator's essay explain the aim of the exhibition, which first opened at the Central Connecticut State University Art Gallery in New Britain, Connecticut, on March 18, 2010. This landmark exhibition, which offered one of the broadest historical surveys of male homoerotic art ever presented at a public educational institution, now moves on to the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation in New York City.

The viewer experiences a tour de force survey of the homo-sensual, homo-erotic, and homo-sexual male figure, spanning over a hundred years, from the late nineteenth century to the present day.

Robert Mapplethorpe's provocative work from the late 1970s faces the exquisite and elegant photography of George Platt Lynes from the 1940s and 50s, which is also prominently featured in the show.

The rarely seen Sex Parts (1978) by Andy Warhol, of Pop Art fame, mingle with homoerotic artwork by early 20th century masters, including Marsden Hartley, Charles Demuth, Paul Cadmus, Jared French, Pavel Tchelitchew, and Andrey Avinoff, as well as the campy but skillful drawings of Tom of Finland.

Artists who openly explored gay identity in the era from Stonewall to AIDS include James Bidgood, Arthur Tress, Don Herron, Duane Michals, Paul Blanca, Mark Morrisroe, and Keith Haring. Robert Rauschenberg, who also treated homosexual themes in this era but in a much more subtle way, is represented by a photographic print of his one time lover, Jasper Johns (Ruminations series).

Elsewhere, the vintage photographs of Von Gloeden and Plüschow; the classic photography of Horst P. Horst, Hoyningen-Huene, and Minor White; and the beefcake photography of Al Urban, Bruce of L.A., and Bob Mizer, reveal the inspiration and roots for artists such as Stanley Stellar, Herb Ritts, and the young 21st century contributor Mikel Marton, whose work indicates an innovative new direction for homoerotic art.

Finally, fetish meets fashion with Rick Castro and advertising embraces homosexuality with David LaChapelle, both representing a visual culture that extends beyond the traditional confines of the "History of Fine Art."

While the imagery in this exhibition mostly offers a celebration of the sensual male nude and homoerotic expression, a thoughtful and startling art installation by curator Robert Diamond takes us beyond the images and wall text and reminds us of one the exhibition's political undercurrents: a history of suppression and secrecy shaped the development of homoerotic art, and homophobia continues to affect the creative and artistic output of gay artists, as well as their personal lives. It reminds us of the importance of this exhibition, which seeks to break no new ground academically but puts some thirty years of earnest gay art scholarship into mainstream consciousness. Although this is, in some ways, a new era for the representation of gay people in the arts, this exhibition defies the unwillingness at an institutional level to study and showcase gay history or to acknowledge gay presence in visual culture.

Curator Robert Diamond, who admitted that organizing this exhibition was a journey of "defying the odds," concludes his official statement with these words: "If this exhibition reveals more parts of the male anatomy than are usually seen in public exhibitions, it also reveals a need for recognition of and freedom of expression for homosexual artists. I hope the celebratory nature of this exhibition offers much to savor and to reflect on long after leaving the exhibition space." <comments />