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international




                                                                                                                                      The focus of the “loving” is men loving men,  they were immediately struck by the daring of
                                                                                                                                      and the photographs bear witness to obviously  two men who were, so to speak, willing to put
                                                                                                                                      affectionate – and often downright passionate  on the record their strong attachment to each
                                                                                                                                      – relationships between two members of the  other by letting themselves be photographed
                                                                                                                                      male gender.                           in  each  others’  arms,  obviously  in  love,  an
                                                                                                                                                                             exhibition that at the time – and still in far
                                                                                                                                      The photo on the catalog and the exposition  too  many  places  –  could  result  in  criminal
                                                                                                                                      poster  is  of  two  manifestly  “working  class”  prosecution and permanent disgrace.
                                                                                                                                      men:  dirty  hands,  dirty  coveralls,  dirty
                                                                                                                                      faces  and  necks,  unambiguously  drawn  to  The  exhibition  lays  out  some  400  of  these
                                                                                                                                      each  other  in  a  warm,  close  and  contented  “pix”  (pics  <  pictures,  as  common  usage
                                                                                                                                      embrace. If this belies the long prevailing idea  would now have it), most lying flat in glass-
                                                                                                                                      of gayness as a phenomenon found primarily  covered showcases, their gentle illumination
                                                                                                                                      in the artistic world and among men of means  emanating from directly over head. Leaning
                                                                                                                                      able to create for themselves a life both apart  over the glass cases, one finds oneself casting
                                                                                                                                      from and anchored in conventional Western  a  shadow  on  the  images  and  constantly
                                                                                                                                      society, highlighting the image has achieved its  shifting position to get a better view. But the
                                                                                                                                      purpose, for the majority of the photographs  lighting scheme simply reflects the fragility of
                                                                                                                                      most  emphatically  do  not  correspond  to  light-sensitive paper that cannot tolerate long
                                                                                                                                      the  long  widespread  and  still  disturbingly  exposure to strong light.
                                                                                                                                      common perception of gay men.
                                                                                                                                                                             In all, the layout of the photos (mostly of small
                                                                                                                                      For  many,  this  will  be  both  a  shock  and  format)  throughout  the  museum’s  various
                                                                                                                                      revelation.  However,  whatever  one  may  halls is noteworthy for its complete avoidance
                                                                                                                                      think,  these  images  do  not  lie,  for  most  are  of any sense of clutter, never too many at once,
                                                                                                                                      remarkably  spontaneous,  although  one  also  a tribute to the delicate hand of Samuel Gross
                                                                                                                                      finds the typical poses from professional studio  who mounted the exhibit.
                                                                                                                                      photographers.  Even  the  latter,  however,  are
                                                                                                                                      noteworthy for the message that they convey,  On the walls are projected photos selected by
                                                                                                                                      all  the  more  striking  because  of  the  highly  the Swiss photographer Walter Pfeiffer, a well
                                                                                                                                      conventional setting.                  known name in homo-erotic imagery. Their
                                                                                                                                                                             exceptionally high resolution allowed them to
                                                                                                                                      All are unsigned and anonymous (apart from  be blown up to cover a major part of each wall.
                                                                                                                                      attribution  to  a  studio  or  a  photo  booth)  One of them, from the Second World War in
                                                                                                                                      and  with  no  copyright.  Yet  they  depict  Europe, is of two soldiers of what was known
                                                                                                                                      unmistakably  a  deep,  intense  affection  if  as the Rainbow Division. It is an accident of
                                                                                                                                      not  downright  passionate  love  that  Western  history that their division carried a name that
                                                                                                                                      conventional  society  rarely  associates  with  has  become  inextricably  entwined  with  the
              2023.06.27 musée Rath – Loving                                                                                          “real  men”.  Coming  from  across  the  entire  gay liberation movement.
                                                                                                                                      world, the pictures demonstrate what literary
                                                                                                                                      and  art  historians  have  long  known:  love  Another is of two good looking young men,
                                                                                                                                      between two men has always existed, and such  dressed to the nines and holding in front of
                               The title, Loving, is broad (deliberately?). The  they have the distinction of not having been
                               subtitle, “The Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell  collected  because  of  their  artistic  value            relationships  are  ubiquitous  throughout  the  them a panel on which is written, “Not married
                               Collection”,  adds  clarification  that  would  (although such can indisputably be attributed          history of the human species, however hidden  but  willing  to  be.”  For  decades,  this  was
                               enlighten few, if any, among the public, for the  to many of them) but because of their historical     from view.                             common  among  young  available  bachelors,
                               two collectors ares essentially unknown in the  value. In short, they are historical documents,                                               not without a good dose of whimsicality, and
                               art scene.                            testifying  to  generally  unacknowledged                        The collection, now over 4,000 photos, began  one might surmise that the two here depicted
                                                                     human  contacts  and  relationships,  outside                    by accident with the purchase of a nineteen-  were both in search of a wife. However, the
                               The  collection  is  of  photographs  (often  conventional  society,  discreetly  running              twenties  photo  discovered  at  an  antique  physical  closeness  of  their  position  and  the
                               neglected in the art world in comparison to  through  the  course  of  history  since  time            dealer’s shop in Dallas twenty-three years ago.  look  on  their  faces  firmly  suggest  that  each
                               paintings, sculptures, castings etc.). However,  immemorial.                                           During the presentation organized for media  has  already  found  a  mate  in  the  other  and
                                                                                                                                      representatives,  the  collectors  explained  that  that the marital state they hanker after is one



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