From the lens of a modern queer person, it can feel like we’re in the middle of a queer art renaissance. The fact that Heated Rivalry has been such a hit even outside the LGBTQ community feels overdue, given how long queer people have been standouts in the art world. But if you appreciate fine art and you’re so inclined to take a trip to Switzerland, there’s a museum near the borders of France and Germany with a new exhibit, featuring some of the earliest known examples of same-sex love and gender diversity expressed on a canvas.
The display is called The First Homosexuals, which sounds sanitized, like something out of a textbook. But these pieces showed queer bodies and sexuality during times when we might think those subjects were taboo. According to Kunstmuseum Basel, “from around 1500 until around 1800, negative attitudes toward same-sex love prevailed in Europe. That is why the representation of same-sex desire was in many ways shaped by Neoclassicism, a movement in the late eighteenth century that embraced Greco-Roman antiquity and its body ideals.
“Under the cover of ancient mythology, artists were able to explore homoerotic motifs without having to name them explicitly.”
This exhibit doesn’t feature just European art, though. It’s a worldwide affair with history lessons that may surprise you. “Outside Europe, homosexuality was socially accepted in many places,” the Kunstmuseum Basel website explains. “In Japan, erotic images called shunga (spring pictures) entered wide currency in the 17th century; many featured both homosexual and heterosexual love scenes, sometimes even on the same sheet. This openness ended with the Meiji Restoration in 1868: profound political changes and the pursuit of imperial power went hand in hand with the growing suppression of depictions of homosexual relationships.” It also points out that Lima, Peru, was known for tolerance of queerness in the 19th century.
It was during that time when queer motifs showed up within art, but people might not have noticed unless they were paying attention. One of the works on display is Emilie Caroline Mundt’s “The Painter With Child in the Studio” from 1893. It’s a sweet scene, showing the artist’s female partner and their daughter. But the artist, a woman, isn’t in it, allowing the depiction to fly under the radar.
If you’re looking for eye candy, they have that, too. Think “hot guys, but make it art.” The First Homosexuals also takes a look at how men’s bodies are shown in homoerotic art. According to the museum, “At the end of the 19th century, slim, youthful bodies were still central; however, by the early 20th century, muscular, decidedly more masculine bodies moved to the foreground. During this time there was also a change in European ideals of the body. Various movements promoted the health and strength of the male body, whether in service to the nation, to increase performance in early capitalism, or to build strength in class struggle.”
So, if you were wondering where gay society’s body ideals came from, this is an interesting place to start that research. And you can do it under the guise of “education,” rather than “looking at hot guys.”
There are also pieces with coded depictions of homosexuality and gender diversity. The exhibit features the work of Danish artist Lili Elbe, whose work depicts her as a trans woman with her wife.
The First Homosexuals also explores the negative attitudes toward the LGBTQ community throughout history. The art of Theodor de Bry depicts the killings of third-gender Indigenous people in Panama to remind us of where we came from and the work we still have to do.
You have until Aug. 2 to see the exhibit for yourself.
