Gays and lesbians in art history: the other's gaze is on stage at the Prado

On the occasion of World Pride 2017, the major global event of the LGBT community, which this year will be held in Madrid from tomorrow, June 23, until July 2, the Prado Museum is offering a special exhibition itinerary aimed at bringing out the homosexual side of its collection. The operation, entitled La mirada del otro. Escenarios para la diferencia (“The Gaze of the Other. Scenarios for Difference”) and curated by Carlos G. Navarro and Álvaro Perdices, will cover thirty works from the permanent collection that have to do with the theme ofhomosexuality: it ranges from antiquity to the 19th century.

Five topics are addressed. The itinerary begins with Amistades inmortales (“Immortal Friendships”), which tells us about same-sex romantic relationships between figures from antiquity: here then are the busts of Antinous and Hadrian, the sculpture depicting Orestes and Pilades, Lawerence ’s painting Alma-Tadema(The Siesta), and an additional bust by an anonymous 16th-century artist who depicted the poetess Sappho. It then continues with Perseguir los deseos (“Pursuing Desires”), an itinerary dedicated to the persecution against homosexuality operated by the Inquisition and the sodomy trials suffered by some great artists: space then for Botticelli, Caravaggio, Baccio Bandinelli and others (including the anonymous Leonardo who painted the Mona Lisa in Madrid). It then continues with Engañosas apariencias (“Deceptive Appearances”), an itinerary devoted to exploring the theme of androgyny: the task is entrusted to works such as José de Ribera’s very famous Magdalena Ventura, Matteo Bonuccelli’s Hermaphrodite or Pieter Paul Rubens’Achilles among the Daughters of Lycomedes. Amar como los dioses (“To love like the gods”), on the other hand, is the section on the homosexual loves of the gods of mythology: it is mainly Rubens’ paintings(The Rape of Ganymede, The Death of Hyacinth, Diana and Callisto) that investigate the gay and lesbian relationships of the protagonists of ancient fairy tales. Finally, the last section(Otras miradas, “Other gazes”) includes two works: Francisco Goya’s so-called Maricón de la tía Gila, a deformed-looking man from whom the use of the appellation “maricón” affixed in contempt to homosexuals would derive, and the Cid, an allusive lion by Rosa Bonheur, a French lesbian painter who was able to entertain her relationships without problems in a society hostile to homosexuality.

Complementing this will be themed lectures and guided tours to be held at regular intervals throughout the period from June 23 to July 5. The catalog (112 pages, 9.50 euros) can be purchased directly from the Prado’s official store website. The museum’s website has all the information about La mirada del otro. Escenarios para la diferencia, with descriptions, fact sheets and images of the works.

Image: One of the works in the itinerary: Caravaggio, David with the Head of Goliath (c. 1600; oil on canvas, 110.4 x 91.3 cm; Madrid, Museo del Prado)

Gays and lesbians in art history: the other's gaze is on stage at the Prado

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