I’m excited to announce that my monthly LGBT gallery tour in Chelsea on Sat. Dec. 13 at 1:00 PM will have a special one-time theme: “Masculinity and Art.”  Almost all of the artists on this tour will be male, some of them gay, and some of them exploring issues of maleness and masculinity in art, through painting, sculpture, electronic media and photography.  People of any gender and orientation are welcome to attend.  Enjoy a great opportunity for socializing as well!

I’m sure “masculinity” means different things to different people, and it will be interesting to see how various male artists – gay and straight – view this construct.  In a couple of cases the artists directly address maleness, such as an Argentinian artist’s outrageously sexual “macho” sculptures that are mostly ceramic.  

Other exhibits deal in a more subtle way with masculinity, such as legendary gay artist David Hockney’s NEW paintings of male dancers.  Hockney is in his late 80s at this point, and (I hate to say it) this may be his last exhibit of new work.  He did have a stroke a few years ago, although it doesn’t seem to have affected his painting ability.  The current show was created during a visit he took to Los Angeles.  Unlike other portrait artists, who base their paintings on photographs they take, Hockney had the dancers pose live, singly or in groups.

The one time I led a “Masculinity and Art” LGBT tour was over a year ago, and the group had a great time.  It will be probably another year before I announce this theme again, so take advantage of it while you can.  The tour happens rain, snow or shine, as the art is all indoors.

Rafael Risemberg, Ph.D., Director
New York Gallery Tours