Swann Galleries is set to host their seventh LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History auction on August 21, showcasing a diverse collection of 20th and 21st-century fine art, photography, and ephemera from prominent LGBTQ+ artists, authors, and activists. Corey Serrant, the Associate Director of Swann’s LGBTQ+ department, expressed excitement for this year’s auction, highlighting that proceeds from works in Dr. Charles Silverstein’s estate will benefit the NYC LGBT Community Center.
One of the standout pieces in the auction is a 1987 oil-on-canvas portrait of Carl George by Hugh Steers. This portrait, created before Steers’s HIV diagnosis, captures George in a lighter palette, showcasing the artist’s talent and the bond between the artist and his subject. Other notable artists featured in the auction include Beauford Delaney, Glenn Ligon, Robert Mapplethorpe, Laura Aguilar, Iké Udé, and Jimmy DeSana, along with illustrations from the leather community by renowned artists like Tom of Finland.
The auction also includes a selection of manuscripts, archives, and books, such as a large archive of lesbian pulp fiction books, physique pictorials, and a first edition of James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room. A special section of works has been donated by the Estate of Dr. Charles Silverstein, a well-known LGBTQ+ rights advocate who played a significant role in removing homosexuality as a mental illness from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.
To explore the full catalog of the LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History auction, visit the Swann Galleries website. Don’t miss this opportunity to acquire unique pieces of LGBTQ+ art and support the NYC LGBT Community Center. For more information and to participate in the auction, visit swanngalleries.com.
