GAYLETTER

Brian Clamp at ClampArt informed me earlier this week about this book signing that they’ll be hosting at the gallery on Thursday, December 8th. I asked for the book because I was curious the moment I read the word ‘Bel Ami‘ in the title. The book that I am talking about of course contains nude photographs of some of the Bel Ami boys by the American photographer Rick Day.

We got the book delivered to the office and the first thing our office mate William told me was, “it’s a statement, you need a large table for it not to eat the whole surface…” The next morning, I finally got to see the book in person and my reaction was like, “m m m it’s not that big” (15.25×11.75 inches), but the dicks in it certainly are. Uncut, large, fluffy, tasty looking penises are in abundance in this lush tome.

Thank God for Bel Ami, and God bless those uncut penises. You can see their asses too, which are nice, oh and the boys are also Bel Ami level cute.   Brian told me that at the signing they’ll also have “18 framed photographs on display from the project.” So you can not only purchase the book there, but also own one of those prints. Here’s a preview of what to expect.

              The book signing is happening from 6:00PM-8:00PM, ClampArt, 247 West 29th St. Ground Floor, New York, NY. …

This show is curated by Mark Beard, who has spent the last two decades keeping alive the legacy of artist Bruce Sargeant. Sargeant is a painter who “largely concentrated on the idealization and celebration of the male form. Had Sargeant not met with a tragic and untimely death at the age of 40, he may have gone on to achieve the fame and renown awarded to such painters as James McNeill Whistler, Thomas Eakins, and Winslow Homer — artists to whom his style is often compared. Instead, Sargeant’s oeuvre remained relatively unknown for years until it was brought to light by the efforts of Beard.”

This Thursday, December 1st, ClampArt is hosting an opening reception for Mark Beard’s show Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938): Parlor, Gymnasium & Field. “The current exhibition gathers canvases in which Sargeant portrays his young models in various private settings such as the parlor and studio; to quasi-public spaces including the gymnasium; on to the field and in the great outdoors.  Mark Beard’s selection of a wide array of scenes reflects his great uncle’s interest in men of all social echelons — from ranchers and people of the working class up the social ladder to sportsmen and art collectors alike.”

Sounds like a wonderful show, and it’s heartening to see a forgotten queer artist finally been given his dues.

Mark Beard [Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)], “Two Friends,” n.d., Oil on canvas, 20×24 inches, Courtesy of ClampArt, New York City.

Mark Beard [Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)], “Hunter in Lederhosen,” n.d., …

The latest from Madonna is not what you think. Madonna 66 is a new book featuring photos of the singer taken on the eve of her entry to stardom. These never before seen photos of Madonna tell the story of the woman behind the celebrity.

Her beauty is forthright and the outfits are quintessentially cool. Madonna in these photos has charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent written all over her, crossed out, and then written all over her again. I picture them arriving on Cis Corman‘s desk in the early 80’s (maybe accompanied by a few demos featuring the naïve but power-house voice) and imagine the gasps — audible and not — that probably ensued.

Madonna 66 is a limited edition photo book, running just 1,500 copies and featuring 66 unpublished Polaroid images of Madonna. Taken on Friday, June 17th in 1983, the images come straight from Richard Corman, son of the aforementioned casting director and producer.

“Cis was preparing a modern day treatment of the classic fairy tale Cinderella [and] asked Richard to drop everything and photograph a performer named Madonna,” who was set to play the lead. The film was never released, but the preliminary photos kick ass. Plus, Madonna 66 includes a 14 page film-treatment of Corman’s shelved Disney adaptation.

As I sifted through the images I wrote down all of the words that came to my mind, and I found that just single adjectives weren’t doing me justice. …

You the Boxer, is Michael Wynne’s second photographic book in his one-year challenge to produce a new photographic book each month from October 2016 to September 2017. The small 4”x3” hand stitched book explores Wynne’s experience boxing through text and 15 beautiful, intimate photographs.

There’s an image of a sexy Latin boxer, his uncut dick and grown out bush showing off the intimate beauty of the male form. The whole book is an exploration of the raw masculinity and eroticism of contact sports. Wynne’s poetic like text accompanies the photographs, here a favorite example: “The first time I saw you, you were sparring with one of the other coaches. Nimble was the word that came to mind, like one second you were on this side of the floor, the next you’re five meters away on the other side of the mat. You weave in and out of the shadows. You’re here and then not here, somewhere else.”

The palm-sized book allows the reader to have an intimate experience exploring Wynne’s raw and graceful world of athletic male photography. The beauty of the body, and the homoerotic communication between athletes, comes alive in this pocket sized publication.

Produced in an edition of 100, You the Boxer, can be purchased here.

  …

Directed by Tatiana Von Furstenberg (yes! the daughter of fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg) in collaboration with Black and Pink newsletter, On the Inside is a group show of art made by incarcerated LGBTQ artists. When I first heard about the show, I was gagged. I imagined prison queens sitting in circles, dragging each other’s pieces. My only exposure to a prison setting is from Orange is the New Black, but I learned that it is much more interesting and complicated than that.

The art is made from supplies that are deemed “safe” enough for the prisoners to have access to behind bars. A majority of the pieces were made with letter-sized paper, dull pencils, and ballpoint pen ink tubes. Some of the prisoners created their own innovative tools for expression. For instance, one prisoner used an asthma inhaler with Kool-Aid to create an air brushed painting — fierce. The project started with a small ad in the Black and Pink newsletter, a monthly publication filled with prisoner-generated content. Over 4,000 pieces were submitted for consideration; the show features close to 400.

I had the pleasure of meeting with one of the featured artists, Jenn Mayo, who was recently released. She is a lesbian artist from Texas. She used her artistry as a means for a survival in prison. “I’ve always doodled and drawn, but when I came to prison it was a way to survive,” she said. While the basic essentials differ from state-to- state, in Texas the prisons don’t even provide the inmates with shampoo or deodorant. …

I was thinking to myself the other day “what’s that queen up to?” The queen I’m referring to is Richard Haines, the artist whose show I want to tell you about… I know Richard has been busy, at least according to his social media, he just can’t stop traveling and attending events. I am sure Richard would appreciate that I have been following his “journey,” ha!

This Thursday Richard’s second solo exhibition ‘Larger Than Life’ opens at Daniel Cooney Fine Art in NYC. This is the first time that Richard is showning his paintings, in the past his focus was more on his drawings, and what a lot of people know him for, his fashion illustrations. “For this exhibition Haines finds inspiration in his Bushwick neighborhood’s drag performers, street style and high fashion runways.”

It sounds like the opening will be a fun event… “The second gallery will be an intimate salon of Richard’s small drawings including drag and street style. The smaller works will continue to show Richard’s artistic and conceptual evolution in a more familiar landscape. The exhibition as a whole celebrates and challenges gender, sexuality, beauty, decadence and raunch.” We are so excited for Richard, can’t wait to see the new work in person. Yas queen!

Below is a preview of the show Larger Than Life:

FREE, Opening reception — 6:00PM-8:00PM, Daniel Cooney Fine Art, 508 – 526 West 26 St. #9C, NY, NY. …