Pictures & Passions

This text, a major contribution to the study of sexuality and the arts, presents a sweeping overview of gay and lesbian art from the beginning of recorded time to the present: works about homosexual themes by identifiably gay artists or for gay patrons. Throughout, this art and experience are seen in a broad context that includes non-Western cultures, hostile as well as positive images, and traditional media such as painting and sculpture alongside modern commercial and mass media such as magazines and photography. Profusely illustrated with 150 photographs, 32 in colour, of works ranging from monuments of world art to humble snapshots, Pictures and Passions is a groundbreaking work of nuanced scholarship and research as well as sensual feast. Intended as a thoughtful introduction for the general reader, the book will also appeal to students, artists, and all those interested in visual pleasure of remarkable variety and sophistication.