Last month I traveled to Los Angeles for my friend Michael Narkunski’s wedding (a post about that experience and my thoughts on gay nuptials is still on the horizon, I promise!), and I had the pleasure of spending Saturday morning before the big event up at the Getty Center so I could catch the Queer Lens: A History of Photographyexhibit before it closed.
Although I’ve seen plenty of LGBTQ+ exhibitions over the years, I’m always up for a new take, and seeing it staged at the big white temple of a museum designed by architect Richard Meier provides an extra gravitas to the whole spectacle. The show didn’t disappoint and it made me recall the groundbreaking HIDE/SEEK: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture that I saw back in 2011 at the Brooklyn Museum due to its scope, scale and scholarship.
I promptly ordered the catalog when I got home (it’s a heavy tome and I didn’t want to shlep it back in my carry-on), and it arrived a few days before my planned chat with Clint Collide. I’d noticed his mention of seeing the exhibition via his newsletter, and I suggested we do a live conversation about it, since I was eager to hear his perspective as a photo aficionado.
What a delight! No only did we discuss the exhibition, I learned about the origin story of his Clint Collide alter ego. Plus, his YouTube channel had just surpassed the 20,000 subscriber milestone. I also asked him for pointers for anyone who might be interested in collecting photography, creating an archive or preserving a collection.
We got into a discussion of Sam Wagstaff (I recommended the Philip Gefter biography, Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe) and living through the Jesse Helms era of the Culture Wars during the 1990s, as well as the way the vast collection at the Leslie Lohman Museum began by many of the discarded art and collections of gay men who died during the AIDS epidemic.
I asked Clint if he’d share some of his favorite photos from the exhibition and catalog and he provided these five black-and-white images—from George Platt Lynes, David Armstrong, Kay Tobin, Duane Michals, and Anthony Friedkin—that are all stunning in distinct ways.
I went on to explain why I believe in sharing imagery that features same-sex desire—in particular men kissing—and the controversy caused by the February 2012 Out magazine cover with Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. You can also read the interview about their love story here.
Of course we also discussed Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell’s collection of vintage photography (it turns out they all frequented the gay bar in Dallas, Texas, where the couple first met) and his interaction with them and the anticipation of the Loving II book, which is set to release this month on October 14. Since I recently interviewed Hugh and Neal for the most recent episode of The Queer Love Podcast, there was a lot of material to cover.
I’ve really been enjoying these Sunday chats via Substack LIVE, and I plan to do more (in fact, I have every Sunday in October booked with a guest). They take place at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET/7pm GMT, so mark your calendars if you want to tune in when we’re live to ask any questions. Or just wait for the recap. If there are any topics that you’d like me to cover, potential guests you want me to invite, or any other ideas for ways to keep expanding the QLP community, please don’t hesitate and let me know in the comments.
Thank you Wendy The Druid 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈🌈, David Watson, Jim, and many others for tuning into my live video with Clint Collide!
Join me for my next live video in the app on Sunday, October 12. I’ll be interviewing Andy Jiaming Tang about his debut novel, Cinema Love, for our next QLP Book Club.
If you’re interested in buying the Queer Lens catalog or any of the other books we discussed in the, check out our Bookshop.org shelves.
