Closet to Quarantine: Queer Art Then and Now - extended through December 11th
Closet to Quarantine: Queer Art Then and Now connects past and present artistic expressions of queer experience. The exhibition spans the arc of queer history, from taboo, to revolutionary, to accepted and celebrated, featuring works by contemporary LGBTQ+ artists alongside their historical antecedents.
The gallery has long offered works by LGBTQ+ artists, including Richmond Barthé, Paul Cadmus, and Ben Norris, to name just a few. Alongside its other offerings, Childs Gallery has actively cultivated a focus on queer-interest art within its collection. Childs Gallery, established in 1937, and the longest continually operating fine art gallery on Newbury Street, has been wholly or partially gay-owned since 1969.
Installation view
Closet to Quarantine: Queer Art Then and Now is inspired by the quarantine-era Instagram account of the gallery’s current owner, Richard Baiano (@artdealerboston). During the Covid-19 quarantine, Baiano posted historical and contemporary art by LGBTQ+ artists under the hashtag #queerartthenandnow as a way to develop a digital community, while also highlighting queer artists throughout history. Discovering artists digitally, through social media, has been an exciting deviation from the gallery’s usual approach. With its low barriers to entry, social media allows artists and audiences to connect more easily, giving access to those who may not otherwise have it, particularly historically marginalized groups like the LGBTQ+ community.
The exhibition runs from September 8th though November 6th. A reception for Closet to Quarantine: Queer Art Then and Now will take place on Saturday, September 18th, 4pm - 7pm.
Artists in the exhibition include:
Hannah Barrett Richmond Barthé Robert Bliss Paul Cadmus Rick Castro Felipe Chavez Opal DeRuvo Rubén Esparza Jared French Andrew Sedgwick Guth Don Joint Mike Kuchar Emily Lombardo Eric Lotzer George Platt Lynes John MacConnell Anthony Moore Ben Norris Stuart Sandford Margaret Rose Vendryes Andy Warhol Sara Zielinski
For more information please visit the gallery website
www.childsgallery.com