GAYLETTER

Touted as the most ambitious exhibition ever presented by the Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art — Classical Nudes and The Making of Queer History attempts to “trace the same sex gaze as grounded in classical form from Antiquity to the modern day.” Now that’s a lot of ground to cover. To make things more digestible, the curator Jonathan David Katz has divided the show into four distinct periods following a chronological order from Antiquity to the Renaissance on to the 18th and 19th Centuries and finally exploring Modern times. There are nearly 100 objects of sculpture, painting, drawing photography and video by artists that include James Bidgood, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Paul Cadmus, F. Holland Day, Jim French, Jean Jacques Pradier, William von Gloeden, Nan Goldin, Robert Mapplethorpe and Lyle Ashton Harris, just to name a few. I must say the homoerotic energy is pervasive — at times blatant and other times more subtle, it almost made me want to shout “We’re Here, We’re Queer and We’re NOT going shopping!” (an old Act Up slogan from a march on 5th Avenue protesting the Catholic church). Seriously this monumental show just made me prideful, go have a look, it’s up until Jan 4th.  —Gayletter

This show of photographs at the Sonnabend gallery by artists Max Becher and Andrea Robbins is definitely on the intellectual tip. The two artists are interested in places out of sync with their causes and consequences. Sounds lofty but makes perfect sense when you see the exhibition. On view are stunning large scale photographs of ten commandment monuments on public land scattered across the US. Their presence has caused legal disputes even though anti-religious groups want them removed. In another room of the gallery there are photographs of replicas of the home of the Lubavitch Rebbe Menachem Schneerson. Duplicates of the original building at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn are found in cities all over the world and used as Hasidic centers. Lastly, in the third room, there is a series of photographs of none other than the restaurant chain Cracker Barrel. The images are eerily similar as all 600 locations adhere to the same interior design code littered with American southern memorabilia and taxidermy. The three subjects of this show could not be more disparate but add up to one cohesive powerful statement about the distinctly American psyche.  —Gayletter

This career encompassing show has been a massive hit at the Whitney Museum, and it’s about to close. Which means if you haven’t seen it yet, this weekend is your last chance. Best of all you can go at any hour (the museum is open continuously for 36 hours). Love him or hate him, it’s hard not to be impressed by Jeff Koons, especially after seeing the incredibly precise and breathtakingly constructed objects on display at this 5 floor retrospective. From his balloon dogs to his kitschy, over-sized tchotchke inspired pieces, to the porn series starring his ex-wife (and the kidnapper of their son) Cicciolina, it’s a dramatic collection of work and well worth a visit, especially since it’s one of the last shows at The Whitneys current location before the museum moves downtown, next to the High Line. I know people like to say that Jeff Koons is “divisive” and I get it, he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ve always been a fan. His work is so fantastical, it’s so wild...it’s something — there’s only one Jeff Koons, thankfully.    —tom

Gio Black Peter is inviting us all to come with him to hell and this time he seems very serious about it — with an exhibition titled See You in Hell that opens this Saturday at 7:00PM at the Bureau of General Services  — Queer Division. The exhibition will showcase some of Gio’s paintings and drawings including his series of paintings on NYC subway maps. Gio told me over a very intimate Facebook chat how it all came about: “It all started with the idea that the life of art depends on the viewer’s willingness to suspend his or her rational thoughts and play into the believability of lies and realistic falsehoods." Expect a live performance by Gio (of course his peen will be on display) The Morning Star, Max Steele, Brian Kenny, Jordan Hall, Tyler Stone, Lady Simon, Gordon Beeferman and more. We heard that Gio will be at the Bureau every Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday working on new art for the duration of the show, feel free to go there and say hi — he’ll love it, we promise!

OK, so I have three words for you: Stevie Nicks, selfies. OMG! The witchiest of all the witches, the queen of coke, the lover of lace, the one-and-only Stevie Nicks was taking selfies waaaaaaaaaaaay before they were even called that, and now they’re on display for the whole world to see (and I presume, purchase?). I’ll let Stevie fill you in on the details of the art work: “All portraits were taken in the wee hours of the night, both at home and on tour, using Polaroid cameras. I wanted to learn how to become a photographer. I was the stylist, the makeup artist, the furniture mover, the lighting director — it was my joy. I was the model.” Yes you were cunt, who needs all that shit when you’re Stevie Nicks? Bitch’s drivers license photo probably looks better than any photo Annie Leibovitz has ever shot! I can’t wait to see them all in person!    —tom