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When originally published by Greenleaf Editions in 1972, A Historic Collection of Gay Art was the first book of its kind to document expressions of gay male sexuality as depicted in visual art, from antiquity to pop culture. Its frank and unapologetic survey of the pleasures of the flesh was, for gay men, unprecedented, and it remains the starting-point for modern-day discussions of erotic gay male artwork and comics.

This new edition has been updated by the original author, Felix Lance Falkon, and Thomas Waugh, author of the similarly themed bestsellers Out/Lines and Lust Unearthed. It features erotic line drawings and other artwork from ancient Greece to 1970s America, by artists both anonymous and infamous (including Tom of Finland, Graewolf, Blade, and Aubrey Beardsley), as well as an insightful narrative that provides a fascinating historical context for these images, including their production and dissemination.

Gay Art also provides a modern-day discussion about pleasure and permission: questions about how we define erotic imagery and what we should and should not be allowed to see. Subversive, smart, and sexy, Gay Art takes erotic images from the past out of the closet and into the light of present day.

Average Customer Rating:

A historic collection indeed !	Customer Rating:
Highly recommended to all art lovers. The themes and layouts are well done. One complaint - at least a few of the artworks could have been printed in colour to enhance the visual appeal of the book. Otherwise a worthy selection of erotic gay art !

A lost gay classic returns.

Customer Rating:

Felix Lance Falkon's historic collection of Gay Art was the first and only one of its kind when it was first published in 1972. Happily, Falkon is still around to revise and republish his long-lost classic. In this he is ably assisted by art historian Thomas Waugh, who provides invaluable commentary. Thanks to Waugh, we learn the names of some of the artists, who were "closeted" back in 1972. (For example, only now do we learn that some of the art is by Falkon himself.) The only reason I do not give this book 5 stars is because the current political climate has forced the authors to censor some of the art that feature gay youths. What was perfectly acceptable in 1972 is forbidden today. Such is "progress."