J. Paul Getty Trust, The, 2025
Discover how photography helped define queer identity, visibility, and community in this richly illustrated “tour de force.”―Emma Jacob, Aesthetica Magazine
Winner of the 2026 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Anthology.
“Potent and inspiring. . . . An empowering photography retrospective that reflects American queer communities.”―Aleena Ortiz, Foreword Reviews
From intimate portraits to public protests, Queer Lens: A History of Photography explores the transformative role of photography in LGBTQ+ communities from the 19th century to today. Edited by Paul Martineau and Ryan Linkof, this volume brings together scholars and artists to examine desire, kinship, gender expression, activism, and visibility. Historical photographs and contemporary works reveal how queer people have pictured themselves and challenged restrictive definitions of identity, while lively essays illuminate the intersections of photography and queer life.
This award-winning volume:
-
Spans nearly two centuries, connecting photography’s earliest experiments with contemporary expressions of queer identity.
-
Features nearly 300 images by some of photography’s most celebrated artists, including Thomas Eakins, Alice Austen, Nan Goldin, Robert Mapplethorpe, Annie Leibovitz, David LaChapelle, Laura Aguilar, Mickalene Thomas, and Paul Mpagi Sepuya.
-
Includes essays exploring how race, gender, class, and desire shape queer representation and photographic practice.
-
Concludes with a personal afterword by acclaimed photographer Catherine Opie on representation and visibility.
For lovers of photography and LGBTQ+ history, Queer Lens offers a new perspective on the people, images, and relationships that have shaped queer life.
Published to accompany an exhibition held at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center from June 17 to September 28, 2025.
