Interview: Homoerotic Art Gaining Acceptance Will Porn Be Next?

Currently taking place at the legendary Circus of Books in West Hollywood, the event features legendary artists including Tom of Finland, Chuck Arnett, Paul Cadmus, Jim French, Domino, Rex, Blade, Etienne, and more.

What makes this so amazing is twenty years ago, buying and selling of homoerotic art was illegal across most of the country. Today the work has become not only legal but lauded, with scores of pieces being displayed in top notch museums like San Francisco MOMA.

This made me question… will the time finally come when porn is considered art as well?

If this event is any indication of how times can change, there is hope. What was once shunned, considered morally corrupt, and judged as perverted is now enjoying widespread love, respect, and demand from the mainstream art world.

I sat down with Michael Fell the curator of the collection to give us more insight into the exhibit/auction and why you want to check it out.

Why is this such an important exhibit/auction for Circus of Books?

The history and quality of the artwork.

In 1978, Louis Weingarten started the Stompers’ Gallery in New York City to showcase homoerotic artwork. He was the first person to foster an environment where a buyer and seller could come together without persecution – it was legal (though still taboo) in NYC unlike the rest of the country.

Weingarten was also the first to get Tom of Finland an exhibit in the USA and it was attended by a lot of famous people including Andy Warhol. Over the years, he continued to invite new homoerotic artists and show their pieces. In 1989, Weingarten passed away from AIDS and there was no one to run the gallery. Before he died he gave a friend all the art he had accumulated over the years. This friend kept those pieces for decades and now, for the first time since 1989 they are finally seeing the light again.

A lot of this work has never even been seen before, it seldom comes on the market and it’s impossible to find anywhere. The pieces are also in pristine condition and very affordable. Some start as low as $250 which gives novices the ability to begin building a collection of museum-quality work.

How did Circus of Books get their hands on the pieces to sell and exhibit?

It was all a happy coincidence.

My partner and I have a company called GayVM.com – Gay Vintage Magazine. We aren’t dealers but we’re collectors and we sell a lot of stuff to Circus of Books. We ended up working with them on an exhibit of gay art that we had amassed over the years.

The owner of the Weingarten Collection took notice of the event and reached out to Circus of Books to see if they’d be interested in carrying their pieces. Though Circus of Books is a specialist in selling gay items, they aren’t a specialist in art, so they asked us to help and that’s how we ended up curating the collection.

How has acceptance changed over the years for homoerotic art?

Twenty years ago, major museums would never have exhibited homoerotic art, today a lot of the artists are being displayed. As curators accept these pieces of work, the patrons do as well.

Tom of the Finland has been the main artist for several years and his value has skyrocketed. There’s also a whole generation around him that has increased in popularity – whether it’s Mapplethorpe or others like Etienne (who did a co-show with Tom of Finland in 1978).

Etienne

Tell us about some of your most interesting pieces in the show/auction.

We have some really rare works. For example, Tom of Finland used to arrange his art in groups then put them in a folders. He did 400 sets like this. We have set #1. We know that’s going to draw a lot of interest – currently we have a 45K estimate on it. There’s also a lot of artwork by Chuck Arnett who had one of his images featured in a 1964 Life Magazine article.

Why should someone check out this exhibit even if they’re not gay or into homoerotic art?

It will open your eyes to seeing how life was in the 70s and 80s.

It was a simpler time, one of no hang-ups on nationality, no hang-ups about how many sex partners you had… it was a different lifestyle that has changed so much, and this is a window into that world.

For example, there are pieces from the artist Blade which have never been seen before. One from 1981 – all done beautifully in pencil – shows two men sitting on a dock and in the background is the World Trade Center. The clothes and carefree attitude of a pre-Aids world are captured perfectly.

Further, many of the images are just beautiful… they’re brilliant, and very colorful. They retained all their luster because the collection had been taken very good care of. There is no light damage or flaws whatsoever that you would normally find in artwork that has been kept in someone’s home.

The exhibit and online auction run until December 15.
To access the auction head to circusofbooks.com/collections/auction.

Circus of Books is located at 8230 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA. Find out more about them on their website at circusofbooks.com and follow them on X @circus_of_books and Instagram @circusofbooksla.