The first comprehensive, authoritative queer guide to the visual arts

Why is St. Sebastian an icon of gay male artists? Is there such a thing as a gay or lesbian sensibility? What's the connection between Buddhist monasteries and Japanese homoerotic imagery? And are all those European bathing scenes as deliciously homoerotic as they seem?

The perfect browser's guide to queer art and the ideal reference work The Queer Encyclopedia of the Visual Arts answers these questions and more in detailed, readable essays that will keep you turning pages long after you've found the answer you were looking for. An easy-to-use, fascinating, and culturally inclusive volume with in-depth critical analyses of major figures, and bibliographies to guide further study.

A distinctly queer presence permeates the history of the visual arts from Michelangelo's David and homoerotic images on ancient Greek vases to Frida Kahlo's self-portraits and the photography of Claude Cahun and Robert Mapplethorpe. From the editors of glbtq.com, The Queer Encyclopedia of the Visual Arts showcases the enormous contribution of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer artists to painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and architecture.

"Like any well-executed encyclopedia, [The Queer Encyclopedia of the Visual Arts] provides a sound overview of the topic at hand while encouraging and supporting further exploration. Recommended." —Booklist

"The best introduction to the major themes and artists associated with queer art currently available...Bottom Line: Impressive in scope, this work is strongly recommended." —Library Journal

"There's a wealth of information here it would be easy to spend hours wandering among the entries." —Books To Watch Out For

"Rewarding from beginning to end...The Queer Encyclopedia of the Visual Arts should be in every public library, not to mention quite a number of personal ones." —Lambda Book Report

CLAUDE J. SUMMERS, Professor Emeritus in the Humanities at the University of Michigan Dearborn, is the editor of The Queer Encyclopedia of Film & Television, The Queer Encyclopedia of Music, Dance & Musical Theater and The Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage. The general editor of glbtq.com, he lives in New Orleans.

Also by Claude J. Summers