Catherine Opie's Being and Having at Masculinities: Liberation through Photography (1991/1991) by Barbican Centre and Catherine OpieBarbican Centre
Queer artists have been making history for generations. From nineteenth-century Paris to modern-day Ohio, these women have made an impact on both the art and social scenes of their eras.
Self-Portrait/Nursing (2004) by Catherine OpieSolomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation
1. Catherine Opie
Catherine Opie was born in Ohio in 1961. Using a mixture of portraiture, studio and landscape photography, Opie documents the relationships between people and the spaces they inhabit.
Self-Portrait/Pervert (1994) by Catherine OpieSolomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation
Some of her most famous work explores the leather dyke community in LA. She’s also looked at the different ideas of family in LGBTQ+ communities and straight communities, and examined a number of social issues including self-harm.
Selfportrait (1925) by Claude CahunMuseum Folkwang
2. Claude Cahun
A sculptor, photographer and writer, Claude Cahun was born in Nantes in 1894. She came from a wealthy literary family. Her uncle was avant-garde writer Marcel Schwob and her great uncle was Orientalist David Léon Cahun.
Gender fluid, Cahun is best known as a self-portraitist. She assumed a variety of different persona for her works, often exploring themes of gender and identity. Cahun didn’t want to be famous. Her work was largely for herself, with most of her images published after her death
Sarah Bernhardt in a Japanese Garden (1885) by Louise AbbémaZimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University
3. Louise Abbéma
Born in 1853, French artist Louise Abbéma was a prominent designer, painter and sculptor of the Belle Époque. Born into an artistic family, she first received critical acclaim for a portrait of Sarah Bernhardt, the French actress believed to have been her long-term lover.
Her work often took inspiration from Japanese and Chinese painters as well as contemporaries like Édouard Manet. Abbéma regularly exhibited at the Paris Salon, and painted panels and murals for a number of buildings, including Paris's Hôtel de Ville and the Paris Opera House.
Mujer con Turbante by Tamara de LempickaMuseo Robert Brady
4. Tamara de Lempicka
Tamara de Lempicka was born in Poland in 1898 but spent most of her working life in Paris and New York. Her striking Art Deco portraits were in demand and she painted many of the rich and famous of the day. She eventually settled in Mexico, where she died in 1980.
Tamara de Lempicka by Mujer con LibroMuseo Robert Brady
Bisexual, Lempicka had numerous affairs with both men and women. She was open about her sexuality, something that was considered scandalous at the time. In the 1920s, she became closely associated with gay writing circles and had a relationship with nightclub owner Suzy Solidor.
Mother and Child (20th Century) by Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980), Beauvais, MUDO, musée de l'Oise, © Authorized by Tamara Art Heritage / Adagp, Paris, 2018Original Source: Beauvais, MUDO, musée de l'Oise
Queer artists have had a huge impact on the history of art. Find out more about pioneering female artists here.
