gay art

If you’re looking for a journey that feels like stepping into a secret woolgather of queer history, Oscar Wilde Tours’ “LGBTQ+ England, from Edward II to Ian McKellen” is pure magic—and made just for us. Imagine nine days in England guided by people who actually get how queer culture is woven into the tapestry of...Read More

Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki—three of the world’s happiest cities, also the most progressive, and the most gay-friendly.  But did you know they also have a lot of fascinating LGBTQ+ history? Here are a few of the famous LGBTQ+ people from these cities’ past. Hans Christian Andersen is a great example.  The picture we get from his...Read More

In what culture did the king of the gods, the greatest heroes, and the greatest general all have boyfriends?  Ancient Greece, of course.  Many cultures have viewed same-sex relations more positively than America traditionally did—but no-one tops the ancient Greeks.  Male-male relations occupied a key role in their culture:  they were thought of as the way that young men...Read More

Père Lachaise is Paris’ great monumental cemetery, with fabulous tombs and many famous “residents” along its charmingly shady, hilly paths (with great views of Paris!). The famous include Chopin, Bizet, and Jim Morrison—who died in Paris, probably of an overdose—but also many women and LGBTQ people. Oscar Wilde’s controversial tomb (frequently covered in lipstick kisses)...Read More

Gay artists have faced a daunting dilemma since the beginning of time: keeping their sexuality hidden or being out with their art and lives and, in doing so, risking rejection and even prosecution. This is why many gay artists, who couldn’t express themselves openly, were forced to live double lives.  They created mainstream work, which...Read More

You might not think there have been many LGBTQ rulers in world history.  But you would be wrong!  From Alexander the Great’s Macedonia to Mad Ludwig’s Bavaria and beyond, there have been rulers (and members of ruling families) with many different sexualities and gender identities throughout world history.  And a number of them, unsurprisingly, have...Read More

At the end of this very real annus terribilis, I want to say a few words to you, our loyal readers and attendees.  Above all, thanks!  Thanks for keeping Oscar Wilde Tours alive by reading our blog, attending our Zoom tours, watching our YouTube videos, contributing to our fundraisers—in short, for being a fabulously loyal...Read More

In a little over 100 years, between 1861 and 1967, Britain went from punishing male homosexuality with the death penalty to decriminalisation across the vast majority of the country. That may seem like a glacial pace but when we consider the World Health Organisation didn’t officially declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder until 1992, the...Read More

Penises in art are a bigger theme than you might think.  After all, what is the number one question people ask in the Greek and Roman collection of any museum?  There is no competition:  why the penises in Classical art are smaller than real-life average adult penises.  And the second is:  whether Christians really broke...Read More

Over the last few years, several museums in Europe have organized an LGBT trail, i.e. a self-guided trail following LGBT themes through the museums’ collections.  The British Museum and the Prado are both prominent examples.  No museum in the US has ever put together such a trail until now, when the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford...Read More