Posted April 22, 2025 in Member News
Photography Constructs and Subverts Concept of Queer Identity in New Volume
The authors explore the rich and multifaceted world of queer identity as built through photographs
LOS ANGELES, CA– First appearing in the English language in the sixteenth century as an adjective meaning "strange," "odd," or "peculiar," queer was used to refer to nonnormative behavior, dress, and lifestyle. It was only in the mid-twentieth century, and mainly in the United States and Europe, that a generalized notion of a shared identity began to cohere in a way that we might recognize today, inclusive of men, women, and trans people who saw their sexuality and gender identity as constitutive of their sense of self. The advent of photography as a medium and its power to capture a subject—representing reality, or a close approximation—has inherently been linked with the construction and practice of identity. Since the camera's invention in 1839, and despite periods of severe homophobia, the photographic art form has been used by and for individuals belonging to dynamic LGBTQ+ communities, helping shape and affirm queer culture and identity across its many intersections.
Queer Lens: A History of Photography (J. Paul Getty Museum, $65) explores this transformative force of photography, which has played a pivotal role in increasing queer visibility. Lively essays by scholars and artists explore myriad manifestations of queer culture, both celebrating complex interpretations of people and relationships and resisting rigid definitions. Featuring a rich selection of images—including portraits of queer individuals, visual records of queer kinship, and documentary photographs of early queer groups and protests—this volume investigates the medium's profound role in illuminating the vibrant tapestry of LGBTQ+ communities.
This volume accompanies the exhibition on view at the Getty Center, June 17–September 28, 2025.
Paul Martineau is curator in the Department of Photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum. He is the author of Rodney Smith (Getty, 2023), Imogen Cunningham (Getty, 2020), and Icons of Style (Getty, 2018).
Ryan Linkof is curator at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. He is author of Public Images (2018) and has contributed to numerous scholarly journals, artists' monographs, and publications, including The New York Times, Document Journal, and East of Borneo.
Publication Information:
Queer Lens: A History of Photography
Edited by Paul Martineau and Ryan Linkof
J. Paul Getty Museum
342 pages, 9½ x 12 inches
293 color illustrations, 1 gatefold
Hardcover
ISBN 978-1-60606-969-1
US $65 / UK £55
Publication Date: June 24, 2025
Media Contact:
Sydney Almaraz-Neal, Getty Publications
(310) 440-6536
salmarazneal@getty.edu
About Getty Publications:
Getty Publications produces award-winning titles that result from or complement the work of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Conservation Institute, and Getty Research Institute. This wide variety of books covers the fields of art, photography, archaeology, architecture, conservation, and the humanities for both the general public and specialists. Publications include illustrated works on artists and art history, exhibition catalogues, works on cultural history, research on the conservation of materials and archaeological sites, scholarly monographs, critical editions of translated works, comprehensive studies of Getty's collections, and educational books on art to interest children of all ages.
Getty Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
USA
