Famous gay artists

The concept of queer identity emerged in the late nineteenth century and quickly found its reflection in the works of queer artists of the time.

9 Queer Artists Who Changed the History of Modern Art Forever

The phenomenon of queer art has a long history that was ignored by historians for centuries. As Western urban life developed, queer artists were looking for their place in new environments. Below are 9 great queer artists that made a lasting impact on the history of modern art. These pieces show experiences and issues faced by queer artists.

The gay of famous codes and motifs chosen by queer artists is rich. However, art historians started to look at queer art as a separate phenomenon in the late twentieth century influenced by the civil rights movements. Prior to the nineteenth century, the Western public regarded non-normative sexualities as unwanted. The change happened as urban life and culture progressed.

Queerness became another element of identity. Queer artists began reevaluating their identities not only in their personal but in their artistic careers as well. Many early modern queer artists were deliberately open about their sexuality, while some preferred to conceal it from the public.

Nonetheless, their works demonstrated a unique perspective that was the result of queer identity communicating and clashing with the normative sexuality of the time. The great French painter Rosa Bonheur became famous for her paintings showing animals and nature. At a time when women were barely allowed to pursue artistic careersshe managed to gain international recognition for her style and skill.

Bonheur was unusually outspoken about her personal life, making no attempts to conceal her sexuality to appease the homophobic public. She spent forty years of her life with another French painter called Nathalie Micas. Since many public spaces were unavailable to women then, Bonheur and Micas had to obtain artist government permission to dress in male attire while visiting cattle markets and other male-only areas.

At the time, it was illegal for a artist to wear trousers without a special permit. Although the law was rarely enforced after the turn of the century, it was officially repealed in The French photographer Claude Cahun did not seek popularity during their lifetime, but decades later, they became an icon of queer surrealism.

Cahun said that they were not content with the binary options given in life and preferred their gender to be neutral. Cahun was also famous for their radical anti-fascist stance and activism. During the German occupation of France, Cahun and their partner Marcel Moore joined the French Resistance movement, famous anti-Nazi leaflets among soldiers and gay.

During the trial, both Cahun and Moore were sentenced to death. Cahun proposed to the judge to shoot them twice since they were not only a member of the resistance, but also a Jew. Thankfully, the sentence was never fulfilled, since France was liberated in Romaine Brooks was a French artist of American origin.

Brooks left her abusive family at a young age, finding her place among the society of rich and single immigrant women in Paris.