Unspeakably Queer celebrates the LGBTQI+ portrait subjects of E.O. Hoppé, one of the most famous fine art photographers of the 1920s and 30s. Working at a time when male homosexuality was illegal and notions of transsexuality were embryonic, Hoppé was a major ally, photographing dozens of what we would now think of as gay, lesbian, bisexual and gender-nonconforming individuals with surprising candidness and extraordinary sensitivity. 

A century and more after they were made, the portraits in Unspeakably Queer are striking in their modernity and contemporary relevance.

The exhibition includes portraits of legendary figures that include writers Willa Cather, W. Somerset Maugham, Vita Sackville-West, Thomas Mann, infamous “wicked” occultist Aleister Crowley, the gender-defying painter Gluck, iconic Russian ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, actor/composer (and songwriting award namesake) Ivor Novello, and pioneering sexologist Havelock Ellis — creative people whose personal lives were as complex and fascinating as their creations.

Other remarkable personalities, like the androgynous artist Alan Odle, male impersonator actress and director Gwen Lally, scandalous Salome dancer Maud Allan, King Charles III’s great aunt Lady Nadejda Mountbatten, Armenian-Iranian dancer Armen Ohanian, and the irrepressible “Bright Young Thing,“ Stephen Tennant, are less known by the general public today, but are ripe for rediscovery by new generations who are ready to find inspiration and representation in their historical predecessors. 

Shown together in this exhibition for the first time and reproduced in unprecedented high-quality platinum prints from the original camera negatives, Hoppé’s queer-relevant portraits remind us that same-sex romance, gender-fluidity and non-binary presentations are by no means new. The individuals shown in Unspeakably Queer were at the leading edge of a battle for personal freedom and gender expression that is still being waged today.

Extended labels are provided for all works. In addition to Pride observances and LGBTQI+ History Month programing relevance, the exhibition provides opportunities for historical and cultural education on subjects including famous artists, dancers and literary figures, women’s suffrage and the women’s rights movement, personal identity topics, issues of class and privilege, vintage expressions of queerness, and the evolution of celebrity culture. This exhibition has great enhancement potential for institutions that hold artworks, manuscripts, costumes and other artifacts relevant to the subjects and the time period.

Curated by Mark S. Melville

WORKS
57 platinum prints from the original negatives

FRAME DIMENSIONS
20 x 16 inches (50 x 40 cm)

SPACE REQUIREMENTS
150 linear feet (46 linear meters)

EXHIBITOR RESOURCES
Checklist, Prospectus (See Below)

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING
Curator available for lectures

INQUIRIES
exhibitions@curatorial.org | 626.577.0044

FEE
Please inquire