Unspeakably Queer
Photographs by E.O. Hoppé
Curated by Mark Melville
Unspeakably Queer celebrates the LGBTQ+ portrait subjects of E.O. Hoppé, one of the most famous photographers of the 1920s and 30s. Working at a time when male homosexuality was illegal and notions of transsexuality were embryonic, Hoppé allied himself with the queer community, photographing dozens of gay, lesbian, bisexual and gender-nonconforming individuals with surprising candidness and extraordinary sensitivity.
A century after they were made, the portraits in Unspeakably Queer are striking in their modernity and contemporary relevance, providing a unique and intimate window into the character of brave queer people who blazed maverick trails through life, despite the potential for serious repercussions, at a time when some of their truths were quite literally “unspeakable.”
The exhibition includes portraits of legendary literary and artistic figures such as W. Somerset Maugham, Vita Sackville-West, Aleister Crowley, Gluck, Vaslav Nijinsky, Ivor Novello and Willa Cather—celebrities known as much for their unconventional identities as for their professional achievements. Other remarkable personalities, like Lady Nadejda Mountbatten and Stephen Tennant, are less known today, but ripe for rediscovery by a new generation, ready to find inspiration and representation in history.
Shown together in this exhibition for the first time, Hoppé’s queer portraits reveal that gender-fluidity and the subversion of social expectations are not new. The pioneers shown in Unspeakably Queer were at the leading edge of a battle for personal freedom and recognition that is still being waged today.
Extended labels are provided for all works. In addition to LGBTQ+ themes, the exhibition provides opportunities for educational programming on subjects including famous artists, dancers and literary figures, women’s suffrage and the women’s rights movement, personal identity and celebrity culture.
INQUIRIES
exhibitions@curatorial.org | 626.577.0044
FEE
Please inquire.
WORKS
36 platinum prints from the original negatives
DIMENSIONS
14 x 11 inches (35 x 28 cm) to 20 x 16 inches (50 x 40 cm)
SPACE REQUIREMENTS
Approximately 105 linear feet (32 linear meters)
PUBLICATION
Publication available.