IGNACIO DARNAUDE: Don't say gay — The erasure of queerns art - WEHOville

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He had a long reer as a scholar of French lerature, but he was bt known for his wrgs on gay inty at the height of the AIDS crisis.

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LEO BERSANI, LERARY CRIC AND THEORIST ON GAY LIFE, DI AT 90

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTHe had a long reer as a scholar of French lerature, but he was bt known for his wrgs on gay inty at the height of the AIDS Peppel/ICI BerlLeo Bersani, who over a 60-year reer as a scholar of morn French lerature had a profound fluence on art and lerary cricism, and who later played a central role bat about gay and queer inty at the height of the AIDS crisis, died on Feb. Bersani had entered the facily earlier this month after a brief hospalizatn wh Bersani was bt known for his 1987 say “Is the Rectum a Grave?, ” a nse, polemil crique of the tenncy among some gay activists to rpond to AIDS by downplayg their sexualy and emphasizg the need to replite bourgeois homosexualy was not the mirror image of heterosexualy, he argued, but somethg radilly different, lackg many of the patriarchal equali that he said fed straight life. “Far om apologizg for their promiscuy as a failure to mata a lovg relatnship, ” he wrote, “gay men should ceaselsly lament the practil necsy, now, of such relatns, should rist beg drawn to mimickg the unrelentg warfare between men and women.

”He followed nearly a later, wh “Homos” (1995), a book-length crique of the emergg field of queer theory, and particular of s leadg figure, Judh Bersani argued that their pictn of gay inty as socially nstcted and of aspects of gay culture as performative and parodic of straight life, Dr. Butler and others threatened to remove those quali that ma male homosexualy salient and even potentially liberatg.

IGNACIO DARNAUDE: DON’T SAY GAY — THE ERASURE OF QUEERNS ART

“He thought that the whole pot of beg a homosexual man is that you dispted the experience of posssn, ownership, fily, nsistency, safety, and you allowed sexualy to be what really is, which is disptive, disorientg, shatterg, lim-vlatg and boundary-breakg. Cldia Peppel/ICI BerlThough many wrers praised “Homos” — Richard Canng, wrg The New Statman and Society, lled a “tone gay studi” — others were more Peck, wrg The Village Voice, took Dr. Bersani to task for all but ignorg the reali of the AIDS crisis and the chang gay men need to make light of , while Denis Donoghue, wrg The New York Tim, warned that “his program ‘Homos’ seems to me a regrsn to apartheid, and one enforced this time round by homosexuals.

Bersani’s lerary cricism and his work on gay inty, there are them nng through both. He found gay life a livg stance of the sort of “swerve” and athetic ivoly that he lled for art and lerature; for example, he praised gay bath ho for the sual sexual enunters they enuraged.

LET'S NOT ASSIGN GAY ARTISTS TO THE OBUARY CLOSET

" More about Clay RisenA versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn D, Page 6 of the New York edn wh the headle: Leo Bersani, 90, Scholar of French Lerature, Author and Theorist on Gay Life. His offhand, equently off-lor jok — “I like the art world; there are a lot of gay people and attractive women wh low-cut drs” — appeared to rerce the pot. “Inty polics tribalized the art unrground and broke up the dissonant tone of — a tribe of women, a tribe of Black people, a tribe of gay people, ” he said.

Sewell preferred the term “queer” to gay, although he claimed he had never formally “e out” about his sexualy.

Pieters spoke an emotnal Kisby for The New York TimPublished July 19, 2023Updated July 21, 2023In 1985, when fear and homophobia were still drivg much of the nversatn surroundg AIDS, the Rev. Stephen Pieters, a gay pastor who had the disease, was a cidly different May, at the St.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY ART CRITIC DIES

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3.8l.1-.09zm6.41-19.6a9.78 9.78 0 01-6.91 2.3 8.92 8.92 0 01-6.3-2.9l-.2.1v14.6h3.8l9.7-14zm22.9 43.41l-8.8-6.91-2.71 2.7-1.3-1.29 3.1-3.21V39.4H671l-.2-.2 3.5-5.2h2.5v-6.7L687.41 16l.2.2V34h8l.2.2-3.5 5.2h-4.7v30.3l4.8 3.7 3.3-3.4 1.3 1.4z"></path></svg><span class="alic gray font-xxxxs font--body">Democracy Di Darkns</span></div></div><hear class="w-100" data-qa="ma-full"><div class="hi-for-prt"></div><div class="mt-lg"><div data-qa="kicker" class="wpds-c-eyomNc wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-PJLV-jYXVnY-lor-black wpds-c-PJLV-mlvxn-size-lg"><a href="/liftyle/style" class="PJLV PJLV-ieDwgbC-css">Style</a></div></div><div class="PJLV PJLV-iklXUFA-css"><h1 class="PJLV PJLV-ikmtGxl-css overriStyl" data-ttid="headle" data-qa="headle" id="ma-ntent"><span data-qa="headle-text" class="PJLV">Art has yet to face up to homosexualy</span></h1></div><div class="flex prt-byle prt-mt-none"><div class="byle-wrapper flex-lumn flex"><div class="PJLV PJLV-ihSmMVC-css"><div class="PJLV PJLV-iPJLV-css mb-xxs overriStyl" style="gap:0.5rem" data-qa="thor-byle"><span class="wpds-c-PJLV"><div class="flex ems-center" data-qa="thor-byle"><div class="mr-sm flex lh-0"><div class="wpds-c-iTcer"><img src=" alt="" class="wpds-c-dgBqAZ"/></div></div><span class="left"><div class="flex"><div class="dib font-xxs" data-qa="name-wh-optnal-lk" data-cy="name-wh-optnal-lk"><span data-qa="attributn-text" class="wpds-c-cNdzuP">By <!-- --> </span><a data-qa="thor-name" href=" rel="thor" class="wpds-c-cNdzuP wpds-c-cNdzuP-ejzZdU-isLk-te">Philip Kennitt</a></div></div></span></div></span></div></div><div data-ttid="timtamp" class="wpds-c-kgabfe wpds-c-kgabfe-ieEDlgV-css"><span data-ttid="display-date" class="wpds-c-iKQyrV">July 1, 2011 at 1:46 p.m. EDT</span></div></div></div></hear></div><article class="grid-article mb-xxl-ns" data-qa="ma"><div class="grid-body"><div class="wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-PJLV-hSmMVC-isLive-false"><div class="wpds-c-jUMcim wpds-c-jUMcim-ibVGacg-css hi-for-prt mb-sm"><div class="PJLV 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aria-hidn="te"><span class="ment-unt font-xxxxs sc-ral-unt"><span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="teaser-ntent grid-center"><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">There may be a reckong the wds. Attus about gays and lbians, and about same-sex marriage particular, are now changg so fast that Amerin culture is sufferg om gnive dissonance: still prone to habs of homophobia while simultaneoly aware that overt bigotry is no longer acceptable much of the public square.</p></div></div><div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="db dn-ns mr-neg-gutter ml-neg-gutter mb-md hi-for-prt" data-qa="subscribe-promo"><div data-orientatn="horizontal" role="separator" class="wpds-c-dbVHzF wpds-c-dbVHzF-hDkAcj-variant-flt"></div><a class="pt-sm pb-sm flex ems-center bold font-xxxs font-xxs-ns jtify-center" href=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="lor:#166dfc;borr:none"><svg class="ntent-box" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns=" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><tle>Wp</tle><path d="M11.055 8.728l-1.018-1.019-.782.782v6.292l1.782 1.564.018-.019v-7.6zm-4.11.236L5.674 7.71l-.836.855v6.237l1.545 1.327.564-.636V8.964zm2.656 9.074l-2.528-2.182-1.927 2.182-2.619-2.255v-3.564h-.509c-.454 0-.672.273-.745.636H1.09a2.89 2.89 0 0 1-.091-.69c0-.473.2-1.71 1.527-1.71V7.691c0-1.073-.709-1.127-.709-2.054 0-1.037.982-2 2.782-2.637l.164.145c-.6.291-1.09.655-1.09 1.437 0 1.2 1.163.89 1.163 2.782v.727l2.127-2.236 2.237 2.2 2.109-2.2 2.036 2v6.728l-3.745 3.455zm11.108-9.625l-1.073-.982-.964 1.018v6.6c.855.11 1.491.4 2.019.964l.018-.018V8.413zm-2.382.418l-.528.545v10.237l.528.492V8.83zm1.49 9.055c-.308-.382-.69-.709-1.145-.836v3.782l-.036.018-1-.927-2.11 1.945-.036-.018V16.96c-.636.145-1.327.545-1.854 1.2l-.146-.091c.127-1.4.818-2.436 2-2.837v-3.545h-.382c-.527 0-.89.363-.963.763h-.219c-.054-.145-.127-.381-.127-.836 0-.891.6-1.564 1.582-1.564h.11V8.085l-.655-.582-.51.51-.254-.237 2.018-2.073 1.71 1.564V9.05l.527-.564v-2.09h.345v1.727l2.273-2.419L23 7.576v7.91l-3.182 2.4z" fill-le="evenodd"></path></svg><span class="mr-xs ml-xs gray-darkt flex ems-center">Get the full experience.<span class="ml-xs subs-theme blue">Choose your plan</span></span><svg class="ntent-box" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 16 16" xmlns=" style="fill:#166dfc" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img"><tle>ArrowRight</tle><path d="M7.664 1.25l6 6a1 1 0 010 1.414l-6 6L6.25 13.25 10.499 9H2V7h8.585L6.25 2.664 7.664 1.25z" fill-le="nonzero"></path></svg></a><div data-orientatn="horizontal" role="separator" class="wpds-c-dbVHzF wpds-c-dbVHzF-hDkAcj-variant-flt"></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">And so you get a para of dramatic <span>ntortns: <a href=" tle=">Comedian Tracy Man performs a self-laceratg apology tour</a> after makg anti-gay jok; major league sports figur, such as Kobe Bryant, face the prospect of <a href=" tle="">six-figure f for yellg anti-gay slurs</a> (pecially if they are ught on vio); and Southwt Airl fights for s reputatn as a progrsive bs after restatg a pilot ught on an open mike <a href=" tle=">makg rogatory ments </a>about gay men and olr women.</span></p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Even the arts world, often seen as a haven for diversy, is beg forced to nont a long rerd of g cultural power to mean, ntrol and hi the ntributns of gay artists. A new book om Oxford Universy Prs, <a href=" tle=">"Art and Homosexualy: A History of Ias,"</a> by Christopher Reed, lays out a broad history of the relatnship between art and sexualy, datg back before the "ventn" of homosexual inty the late 19th century and enpassg such a plex array of same-sex behavrs that Reed clus a chart his troductn to map all the possibili.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Published last month, Reed's book rri forward a long-overdue reckong that began a very public and ntroversial way wh the exhibn "Hi/Seek: Difference and Dire Amerin Portraure" at the Smhsonian's Natnal Portra Gallery late last year. The power of <a href=" tle=">the "Hi/Seek" exhibn</a>, and of Reed's prehensive history, is the rtatg of the obv: Artists wh same-sex sir have played a disproportnate role the creatn of Wtern art, pecially the past century. As mic (Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernste, Samuel Barber), so too the visual arts (Robert Rschenberg, Jasper Johns, Cy Twombly): Much of what is seen as qutsentially Amerin is the product of gay creators. "A plete acunt of the 20th-century artists who were or were thought to be homosexual," Reed wr, "would e close to a chronicle of morn art s entirety."</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">While both the exhibn and Reed’s book make a posive se for the often timately entwed histori of homosexualy and art (pecially the 20th century), they also document a lany of shameful events and grievanc, many of them perpetrated by stutns and people who may be forced to nont past bigotry and make amends.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">As Reed monstrat, the “super-macho” ethos of the Amerin abstract exprsnists wasn’t jt about hard livg and womanizg. The downtown Artists’ Club, which served proment ab-ex paters, also end a “no homosexuals” clse s nstutn. Artists such as Andy Warhol and Robert Mapplethorpe found themselv on the outsi of the tablished arts world their early reers large part bee of the overtly homoerotic them their work. Crics such as Hilton Kramer trafficked more or ls vilently homophobic rhetoric throughout their reers. And as the art world begs to memorate the 25th anniversary of Warhol’s ath (there are major exhibns g to Washgton September), ’s hard to fet cric Vivian Gornick’s famoly anti-gay analysis om 1966, dismissg the role of gay culture pop art as “a malic fairy’s joke.”</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Even mms that are not actively the bs of anti-gay bigotry are often prone to hidg the rich history of same-sex sire. A Greek ceremonial chair known as the Elg Throne, rved almost 2,500 years ago, clus an image of Harmodi and Aristogeon, who killed a tyrant Athens and are celebrated as hero of mocracy. They were also lovers, acrdg to Thucydis, but no mentn of that is ma the ptn rmatn near the chair at the Getty Villa Malibu, Calif. Rarely, if ever, is any explanatn given for the role that figur such as Ganyme (a boy kidnapped by Zs), Sat Sebastian (picted as a handsome youth pierced by arrows) and Orphs (who some versns of the legend turns away om women and to the love of boys after his ultimate loss of Eurydice) play the inography of same-sex eroticism.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">In some s is mm policy not to expla anythg about the art (another suicidal hab of the morn Amerin mm). But other s, the rmatn is simply missg. As cultural change ntu — the space of six months, gays have earned the right to <a href=" tle=">serve openly the ary </a>and n now <a href=" tle=">marry New York state </a>— stutnal silence on gay them may no longer be seen as an nocuo, "fay iendly" strategy. "Fay" is now unrstood to clu gay parents, married gay upl and people wh gay children, and the absence of basic rmatn about the role of same-sex sire art history has bee an overt s of omissn.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The speed of change is unbalancg even tablished stutns. After Smhsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough overled his top curators and tervened to censor the crilly acclaimed "Hi/Seek" exhibn on Nov. 30, he acknowledged only one mistake: havg moved too quickly and whout enough put om stakeholrs. Clough was rpondg to attacks om a ant right-wg Catholic group, as well as the fear of potential budget cuts om a newly Republin-domated Hoe of Reprentativ. <a href=" tle=">The removal of a vio</a> by gay artist David Wojnarowicz that showed a cross wh ants on was prented as a small price to pay for keepg the exhibn open. Clough's terventn was wily seen as endorsg a rigidly nservative Catholic view of sacrilege agast a eply personal, and inoclastic, gay view of spirualy.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">But many ways, was the culture that was movg too quickly for the Smhsonian, and the firtorm that epted afterward, severely damagg both Clough’s and the Smhsonian’s credibily, reflected an emergg nsens: that the acceptable level of anti-gay bigotry at an stutn such as the Smhsonian is now zero.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div id="gift-share-le" data-ttid="gift-share-le" class="PJLV PJLV-ilotWTr-css hi-for-prt"><button aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-expand="false" aria-ntrols="gift-share-drawer" role="button" tabx="0" aria-label="Share this article" id="gift-share-drawer-ntrol-le" data-ttid="gift-share-drawer-ntrol-le" class="wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-gsmDXe wpds-c-gsmDXe-goNocI-placement-Inle foc-highlight"><div data-ttid="gift-share-terstial-trigger" class="wpds-c-kPqOkS wpds-c-kPqOkS-jtSXsT-hasSubsText-false"><span class="wpds-c-hBJqc"><span class="wpds-c-dzSncg">Share this article</span></span><span class="wpds-c-eCvK"><span class="wpds-c-enedHQ wpds-c-enedHQ-cCdK-isShown-false">Share</span><svg xmlns=" fill="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-fBqPWp wpds-c-fDHGth"><path fill="currentColor" d="M8 .6v3.8h.1c-4.4 0-7.3 4.5-6.9 8.8.1.8.2 1.2.2 1.2l.2 1 .4-1.3c.8-2 2-4 6.2-3.9H8v4l7-6.9L8 .6Zm1 11.3V9.3h-.9c-3 0-4.8.5-6.2 2.9.5-3.3 2.7-6.8 6.2-6.8H9V3l4.5 4.4L9 11.9Z"></path></svg></span></div></button></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">It may prove paful, and chasteng, as such stutns e to accept that realy and reflect their prentatn of art. Whole movements and eras, om the atheticists of the late 19th century to the abstract exprsnists of the mid-20th century, simply don’t have herence whout reference to same-sex sire. As this history is ma obv, even tablished standards of how we judge art may be shaken. As Reed documents, ias about abstractn, formalism and dividualism art have domated cricism, but often at the st of enforcg heterosexual valu and power. Artists who hid their “gay” work (Charl Demuth), or stood to the si of the mastream art world (Marsn Hartley), or are simply fotten (a circle of artists Italy that clud Emma Stebbs, Edmonia Lewis and Harriet Hosmer) may serve new attentn and stat.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">The reckong that fally re­tablish the legimacy and acplishments of gay artists the morn mm may not be fortable for many artists who intify as gay, eher. Reed sketch a recent history of fightg and atrici as a younger generatn mov away om the fns of gay inty that rmed the thkg of artists who worked durg the socially turbulent 1960s and ’70s and the darkt days of the AIDS epimic the ’80s and ’90s. Although the “Hi/Seek” exhibn was billed as the first major mm show voted to gay art this untry, there was a precursor, the 1982 “Extend Sensibili” exhibn at the New Mm New York. That show foced on emergg and maly unknown artists, large part bee tablished artists (or their agents and alers) wanted no associatn wh a public claratn of homosexualy. The artist duo Gilbert and Gee, who create overtly homoerotic imag of epicene young men, refed to allow their work the show. They also refed to allow to be reproduced Reed’s book, acrdg to the thor.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Havg lacked the urage to be open about homosexualy may e back to hnt some tablished artists, crics, mm directors and curators. So, too, beg dogmatic about what means to be gay or lbian may e back to hnt some antly gay artists.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">It's clearly too early to wre an obuary of homophobia. Durg the bate about same-sex marriage New York, Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan pared advot for equaly marriage <a href=" tle=">to the North Korean regime</a>, a ernment that tortur, kills and starv s cizens. It was an unnny remr of the vilent homophobic rhetoric ed agast artists mid-20th century Ameri, when homosexuals were often likened to the Red Menace. Yet even mastream nservativ such as the Natnal Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez and Gee Weigel leapt to Dolan's fense. Weigel even add a parison of pro-equaly groups to Bull Connor, the 1960s Birmgham, Ala., official who turned fire hos and attack dogs on civil rights protters and gave the Klu Klux Klan a ee hand to beat, harass and timidate Ain Amerins and their supporters.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">Late last year, as the curators of the “Hi/Seek” exhibn stggled to expla and nmn Clough’s censorship while fendg the urage of the Natnal Portra Gallery, they revealed that several other mms had been offered the exhibn and refed , probably out of fear of ntroversy. A full acunt, and reckong, of the homophobia at work the “Hi/Seek” ntroversy would probably embarrass (and perhaps te) arts lears far beyond the Smhsonian’s Castle.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb dn db-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-sktop"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-none pt-lg pb-lg" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"><div>Advertisement</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><div class="cb db dn-ns" data-qa="article-body-ad" data-ttid="article-body-ad-mobile"><div aria-hidn="te" class="hi-for-prt relative flex jtify-center ntent-box ems-center b bh mb-md mt-sm pt-sm pb-sm" style="m-height:250px;borr-top-lor:;borr-bottom-lor:"><div class="center absolute w-100 borr-box" style="top:"><div class="dib gray-dark pl-xs pr-xs font-sans-serif light font-xxxxs lh-md" style="--primary-borr-lor:"></div></div><div data-ttid="placeholr-box" class="w-100 h-100 absolute flex flex-lumn jtify-center borr-box bg-offwhe" style="width:300px;height:250px"><div class="flex flex-lumn jtify-center font-sans-serif center font-xxs light gray-dark lh-md"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">It won’t be easy, but will be excg and productive, pecially as gay people and their alli take an active hand challengg mms to be more hont. The arts world is by no means the most homophobic stutn U.S. society. But the arts are a laboratory for cultural cricism, and they flourish when they are out ont of cultural change, not tchg up to . Some major universi have already begun to explore their own stutnalizatn of homophobia, jt as they me clean about anti-Semic polici generatns earlier. As stutns such as the Mm of Morn Art grapple wh why they never gave Warhol a solo show durg his life, the historil rerd will get richer, and the bonds between mms and their public stronger.</p></div><div class="article-body" data-qa="article-body"><p data-ttid="drop-p-letter" data-el="text" class="wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css overriStyl font-py" dir="null">But isn’t jt a matter of settg the rerd straight. Fundamentally, ’s about tg dienc and epeng the appreciatn of art. As Reed explas, homosexualy the 20th century “beme the paradigmatic secret of avant-gar art.” It’s not the only thg that explas art, but whout an unrstandg of , there is a lot of nonsense the history of art. As arts stutns tch up wh Amerin culture, they will only benef om more tth, ls silence and no nonsense.</p></div><div class="wpds-c-jkoBlc wpds-c-jkoBlc-leHWbT-removeAllStyl-te"><div class="wpds-c-dhzjXW wpds-c-dhzjXW-iPJLV-css overriStyl mt-md tt"><div id="gift-share-end" data-ttid="gift-share-end" class="PJLV PJLV-idiqKOk-css hi-for-prt"><button aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-expand="false" aria-ntrols="gift-share-drawer" role="button" tabx="0" aria-label="Share this article" id="gift-share-drawer-ntrol-end" data-ttid="gift-share-drawer-ntrol-end" class="wpds-c-PJLV wpds-c-gsmDXe wpds-c-gsmDXe-iIVoLq-placement-Shortcut foc-highlight"><div class="wpds-c-UazGY" id="gift-share-shortcut" data-ttid="gift-share-shortcut"><svg xmlns=" fill="var(--wpds-lors-primary)" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-fVfumU "><path fill="currentColor" d="M8 .6v3.8h.1c-4.4 0-7.3 4.5-6.9 8.8.1.8.2 1.2.2 1.2l.2 1 .4-1.3c.8-2 2-4 6.2-3.9H8v4l7-6.9L8 .6Zm1 11.3V9.3h-.9c-3 0-4.8.5-6.2 2.9.5-3.3 2.7-6.8 6.2-6.8H9V3l4.5 4.4L9 11.9Z"></path></svg><div class="PJLV wpds-c-kwcHlj">Share</div></div></button></div><div class="wpds-c-hcekgi"><div class="mb-lg-mod" data-qa="ments-btn-div"><button aria-label="Scroll to the ments sectn" data-qa="ments-btn" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-SQjOY-variant-sendary wpds-c-kSOqLF-eHdizY-nsy-flt wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-in-left wpds-c-kSOqLF-igqYgPb-css ments hi-for-prt"><svg xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidn="te" focable="false" role="img" class="wpds-c-fBqPWp "><path d="M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z"></path></svg><span></span> Comments</button></div></div></div><div class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css"><div></div></div><div class="PJLV PJLV-iipsdti-css"><div></div></div><sectn class="PJLV PJLV-icEohIP-css dn-ns hi-for-prt" data-ttid="mostRead" subscriptns-sectn="ntent"><div data-ttid="lazy-most-read-parent" class=""><div style="m-height:800px"></div></div></sectn><div class="PJLV PJLV-ickXkbz-css"><div data-qa="newsletter" class="hi-for-prt relative"><div class="dib w-100"><div><div class="flex jtify-center align self-center center transn-all duratn-400 ease--out" data-qa="sc-newsletter-signup" aria-label=""><svg aria-labelledby="react-aria-1-aria" role="img" viewBox="0 0 100 80"><tle id="react-aria-1-aria">Loadg....

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