A trip to Coney Island; the late, great Betty White in bunny ears; gay adult star Sean Ford with a conspicuously erotic Pokémon. No, we’re not describing our last fever dream (but it sounds kind of fun) — these are just some of the things you’ll find at an upcoming exhibition exploring artistic freedom in queer aesthetics.
“We Fancy” will feature works from over 30 LGBTQ artist who have studied or taught at The Art Students League in Manhattan, a school founded in 1875 by artists, for artists.
“Since its inception, the Art Students League has been a site of unbridled creativity and a home for radical artmakers who reject social norms in the name of Art,” said Michael Hall, the League’s Artistic & Executive Director. “Because of the League’s history as an incubator for revolutionary artmaking, it is not surprising that, historically, many LGBTQIA+ artists found the League to be a space where they could express themselves without the constraints of traditional art education.”
Related: PHOTOS: Museum offers rare glimpse at gay life in the 1940s, on Fire Island and beyond
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Guest curator Eric Shiner assembled the collection, which includes a broad range of style including pop art, abstract expressionism and magical realism. “In researching for this exhibition, it became clear in myriad ways that queerness has been a part of the League’s fabric from its earliest days and that through its dedication to creative expression, it made space—if at times imperfectly or awkwardly—for queer artists to have as much of a semblance of safe space for the expression of their identity as was possible at that precise moment in time,” he said in a press release.
The exhibit runs at The League from October 27-November 27 (more info here), but they’ve provided us with a preview that has us seriously rethinking our living room decor.
Take a look below:
Related: Chella Man invited 13 disabled artists to explore ‘Pure Joy.’ Here’s what they have to say
All images courtesy of The Art Students League.
bachy
Some truly lovely imagery!
The art cabal that’s currently influencing me the most is probably Genderpop. I’ve purchased several of their pieces. Genderpop takes a fresh look at our ongoing explosion of new gender identities via various symbolism – including the garden, X/Y chromosomes, mandalas, Robert Indiana’s famous LOVE graphic and text relevant to the subject.
They’re featured on the SaatchiArt website if anyone wants to take a peek (tried to add a link but Queerty forbids it!).
abfab
Rose. Do we have to hear another St Olaf story? Now Da-thee………let the blonde bimbo finish her story!
scotty
sean ford has one the most chiseled physiques i have ever seen. to gaze upon it IRL must deliver a medusa effect beyond the mere internet experience of hard as a rock. literally, millions of decaliters of jizz has been spilt over him. enough to fill several olympic size swimming pools.
Doug
I love some of this work! Wishing I was in Manhattan to see it in person. I didn’t know that Paul Cadmus had studied at the Art Students League, his etching here was done in 1935..?