Wrightwood 659's Latest Exhibition Matters Now More Than Ever
“The First Homosexuals: Birth of a New Identity” runs until July 26.
Chicago‘s Wrightwood 659 art gallery is opening its doors to an exhibition that underscores a continued, generational fight for LGBTQIA rights worldwide. “The First Homosexuals: Birth of a New Identity” dives into a transformative period between 1869 and 1939, when homosexuality shifted from something seen as an act, to something tied to personal identity.
The exhibition brings together over 300 works by 125+ artists from 40 countries. On loan from major museums worldwide, including the Musée d’Orsay, the Tate and even the Kinsey Institute of Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, the art featured here is a glimpse into a history that helped shape the fight for queer rights as we know it today.
With the political landscape growing more divisive, with rulings like the U.K. Supreme Court’s definition of a woman and the U.S. rolling back trans and gender-identity protections, this showcase serves as a powerful reminder of how far we’ve come, and how far we still have to go. More than a third of the pieces on display are by women and artists of color, offering a fresh perspective on a story too often told through a narrow lens.
Tickets for “The First Homosexuals: Birth of a New Identity” are available for purchase on the gallery’s official website.
If you can’t make it to Chicago for the show, don’t worry — there’s no need for FOMO. Phaidon’s imprint, Monacelli, is releasing a gorgeous companion book to the exhibition. The First Homosexuals: The Birth of a New Identity 1869–1939 is a stunning 400-page catalogue packed with 500 illustrations, and it’s available for pre-order now on its website.
For more art news, read about Sophie Tea and the British Red Cross’ collaboration for the UK’s Chelsea Flower Show.
