Queer Art - by Gemma Rolls-Bentley (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

We love and strongly recommend this beautifully curated book. Celebrating the massive and lasting global impact of LGBTQI+ artists, a book like this is long overdue! Russell Tovey & Robert Diament, co-hosts of Talk Art podcast.

Celebrate the LGBTQI+ community with this vivid collection of artworks that charts queer voices from around the world.

The twentieth century saw key shifts for the LGBTQI+ community across the western world: from the Stonewall uprising to the first pride parades and homosexuality law reforms. The years following these milestone moments have seen queer life face new challenges, celebrations, injustices and liberations.

As ever, this journey has been closely mapped by art and culture. Artists working across all mediums - from painting, performance, digital and beyond - have captured key moments, from the HIV/AIDS crisis and the rise of drag, to marriage equality and the fight for trans liberation. The artists include:

• Andrew Logan, sculptor and founder of the Alternative Miss World party
• Leading artists David Hockney, Nicole Eisenmann and Zanele Muholi
• Late greats Greer Lankton, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon and Tom of Finland
• Pioneers of Queer Cinema Derek Jarman and Sir Isaac Julien
• Ground-breaking photographers Nan Goldin, Ajamu X, Wolfgang Tilmans and Catherine Opie
• Contemporary art stars Sin Wai Kin, Zackary Drucker and Clifford Prince King

With nearly 200 artworks selected by leading LGBTQI+ curator Gemma Rolls-Bentley, this book mixes the high-brow with the low, gallery stalwarts with Instagram stars, and the racy with the fabulous. This is a unique celebration of queer life - a must-have for the LGBTQI+ community, art lovers and anyone interested in the culture surrounding queer identity.

Review Quotes

"A vibrant, inclusive collection, it captures the resilience, creativity, and ongoing celebrations and challenges that the LGBTQ+ community experience in art world."

--ArtNet

"Unique, profusely illustrated, impressively informative."

--Midwest Book Review

"Queer Art is a brilliant accomplishment for Gemma Rolls-Bentley... a testament to the transformative potential of art in challenging norms and fostering inclusivity."

--Catherine Opie

"Queer Art is a testament to the profound impact of art and culture and the resilience of the human spirit, and will undoubtedly resonate with readers of all backgrounds and identities. This book is not just for the LGBTQIA+ community; it is for anyone who believes in the power of art to transcend boundaries, foster empathy, and ignite change."

--Sir Isaac Julien, RA

"We love and strongly recommend this beautifully curated book. Celebrating the massive and lasting global impact of LGBTQI+ artists, a book like this is long overdue!"

--Russell Tovey & Robert Diament, Talk Art Podcast

"Shazam! And just like that - trans tokenism no longer has a place in queer art history. Finally a book that celebrates the creative contributions of trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming artists."

--E-J Scott, Founder of the Museum of Transology

About the Author

Gemma Rolls-Bentley has been at the forefront of contemporary art for almost two decades, working passionately to amplify the work of queer artists and provide a platform for art that explores LGBTQIA+ identity. She curates exhibitions, builds art collections and leads projects internationally. Most recently she curated the group exhibition 'Dreaming of Home' at Leslie Lohman Museum of Art in NYC and the Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival in London. She curated the 'Brighton Beacon Collection', the largest permanent display of queer art in the UK. Gemma is a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art and she has sat on the boards of numerous organisations and charities that support diversity in the arts.