What Makes an Artwork Queer? A Virtual Queer Tour of MoMA
Ever wondered what makes an artwork queer? Join George Benson for a virtual tour of New York's Museum of Modern Art to find out!
Cost: $12. Please note that this fee helps keep our small business going during the crisis so we can get up and running right away when it is safe to bring people together again in person.
2 TYPES OF TICKETS:
Can't make the live event? Buy a ticket for the recording and watch the event in your own time! See FAQs below for more info.
Why is Frida Kahlo wearing a man's suit? What do two clocks on a wall have anything to do with being queer? And why did Robert Rauschenberg stick a stuffed eagle into his painting? Join George Benson on a tour of New York's Museum of Modern Art to find out what exactly makes an artwork queer. Touring the galleries, this talk takes a very close look at MoMA's world-leading collection of modern and contemporary art to discover queer interpretations of some of MoMA's best known artworks by iconic artists such as Frida Kahlo, Robert Rauschenberg, Felix-Gonzalez Torres and Catherine Opie. Giving an overview of 20th century art, this tour follows the arc of the LGBTQ liberation movement and its effect on the art world, through moments of censorship and prejudice to empowerment and celebration.
Highlights include:
Frida Kahlo and her controversial self-portrait from 1940.
Robert Rauschenberg and how he queered the artwork after Abstract Expressionism.
A hidden gem in the MoMA’s collection, only recently displayed for the first time.
Catherine Opie’s defiant and empowering photography
And much more!
Speaker Info
George Benson worked for MoMA's Education Department where he co-wrote and hosted the museum's first ever queer tour. In the course of his research, George discovered over 230 artists in MoMA's collection who would fall under the label of 'queer' and has worked with the museum to advocate a greater representation of queer artists on display. Before moving from the UK to the US, George was co-chair of a group called MuseumPrideLDN, which brought together the LGBTQ networks of over 40 galleries, libraries, archives and museums to create a support and advocacy group for queer representation in cultural institutions across the UK. George also worked at The British Museum, where he served in an advisory capacity on the museum's first ever exhibition dedicated to the queer community, Desire, Love, Identity, a 10,000 year history of same-sex desire. In 2017 George spearheaded the campaign to get the museum to fly the rainbow flag, the first time the museum had flown any flag other than the Union Jack in its 268 year history. George now works at the Smithsonian where he is an active member of the Smithsonian Pride Alliance.
FAQ
When will the Zoom invite come?
The Zoom invite will be sent to your email address at 48hrs, 2hrs, and 10mins before the event. PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM AND SOCIAL FOLDERS IF YOU DO NOT SEE THE ZOOM INVITE IN YOUR INBOX.
What time zone is the event scheduled in?
The event is scheduled for 2pm EST (i.e. New York time). You can watch it in any time zone but please adjust to the time zone you are in.
Will the event be recorded and available to view later?
Yes the event will be recorded and you can buy a ticket for the recording above. If you buy a ticket for the recording you will be emailed automatically after the event with a link to the recording, available to view for 1 week after receiving the link. If you bought a ticket for the live event but couldn't make it please email us and we will send you the link to the recording.