Tate Britain present Queer British Art 1861 – 1967, the first exhibition dedicated to queer British art.
Featuring works from 1861–1967 relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) identities, the show marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England.
Queer British Art explores how artists expressed themselves in a time when established assumptions about gender and sexuality were being questioned and transformed.
Deeply personal and intimate works are presented alongside pieces aimed at a wider public, which helped to forge a sense of community when modern terminology of ‘lesbian’, ‘gay’, ‘bisexual’ and ‘trans’ were unrecognised. Together, they reveal a remarkable range of identities and stories, from the playful to the political and from the erotic to the domestic.
With paintings, drawings, personal photographs and film from artists such as John Singer Sargent, Dora Carrington, Duncan Grant and David Hockney the diversity of queer British art is celebrated as never before, presenting work from the abolition of the death penalty for sodomy in 1861 to the passing of the Sexual Offences Act in 1967 – a time of seismic shifts in gender and sexuality that found expression in the arts as artists and viewers explored their desires, experiences and sense of self.
Event: Queer British Art 1861-1967
Where: Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG
When: April 5 – October 1, 2017
Time: Monday to Sunday 10.00–18.00
Cost: Free entry for members: Adult £16.50 (without donation £15): Concession £14.50 (without donation £13.10). Under 12s free (up to four per family adult) Family tickets available (two adults and two children 12–18 years) by telephone or in the gallery