Once on the margins, Queer Art took centre stage in our AVANT GARDE: Art from 1890 to Now and MODERN MADE auctions at the Mall Galleries in London in October 2023.
The market for works relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) identities, has moved greatly in the past few years, reflecting a long-awaited correction within institutional collections - with the Queer British Art exhibition held at Tate Britain in 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England, being a major impetus.
We take a look at the revolutionary artists featured within our past recent sales.
Roy de Maistre
Two Figures, an oil on board of two unclothed men depicted in a moment of intimate relaxation, is an early work by Roy de Maistre. Sold for £12,600, it is one of three paintings from different moments in the artist’s career offered as part of the MODERN MADE sale on October 27, 2023. They came by descent from Celia Broadbent (née Keogh), de Maistre’s cousin once removed, and his executor and friend; her mother, Camilla Margery Keogh, was the subject of La Folie, considered one of de Maistre’s major works.
Once described as “the man who taught Francis Bacon to paint”, de Maistre moved from his native Australia to London in 1930. In his first year in the English capital, de Maistre had a solo show at the Beaux Arts Gallery and a joint exhibition of paintings and furniture with Bacon, held in the latter’s studio at 7 Queensberry Mews. The two men enjoyed a close friendship in the 1930s when Two Figures was painted. It is a rare survivor of its kind.. De Maistre’s instructions to his executors were that a large body of work, described as “fellas doing things to fellas” be destroyed following his death.
In contrast, Crucifixion of 1945 was painted in response to the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. By this point in his career, de Maistre was becoming known as a modernist religious painter and he formally converted to the Roman Catholic faith in 1951.
Keith Vaughan
Keith Vaughan gained recognition for his significant contributions to queer art. Through his work, he delved into themes of male intimacy and desire, challenging societal norms and boundaries. Notably, his Drawing of Two Men Kissing (1958-73), currently housed in the Tate Archive, showcases his exploration of homoerotic imagery.
From 1937-38, there were references the artist’s awareness of Picasso. That time also marks the beginning of Vaughan’s mission to chart in paint his experience as a homosexual man in an era in which it was still against the law. It was at this time that Vaughan began to write his highly intimate journals that are now renowned as a searingly honest testimony to the gay experience in Britain in the mid-20th century.
Vaughan's drawings and private erotic works were renowned for their portrayal of queer experiences. Alongside other queer artists, he played a pivotal role in shaping the history of queer art, questioning traditional notions of sexuality and gender.
Cedric Morris
Cedric Morris, of course, is also a key figure in the history of Queer Art in Britain. He and his partner, Arthur Lett Haines, made no apologies for who they were and whilst they didn’t flaunt their relationship, they didn’t hide it either. The art school that they founded in Suffolk in 1937 - whose pupils included Lucian Freud and Maggi Hambling - was legendary as a haven for bohemian attitudes to life and art.
