Robert Mapplethorpe in Queer Lens: A History of Photography
17 June–28 September 2025
Group exhibition at Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Since the mid-19th century, photography has served as a powerful tool for examining concepts of gender, sexuality, and self-expression. The immediacy and accessibility of the medium has played a transformative role in the gradual proliferation of homosocial, homoerotic, and homosexual imagery. Despite periods of severe homophobia, when many photographs depicting queer life were suppressed or destroyed, this exhibition brings together a variety of evidence to explore the medium’s profound role in shaping and affirming the vibrant tapestry of the LGBTQ+ community.
In the Queer Lens exhibition, the complex history of the word “queer” is openly acknowledged, and its reclamation by the LGBTQ+ community talked about. In this context, it is not derogatory, but a word of inclusivity and empowerment. Additionally, “Queer” is gender neutral and includes those who are left out of LGBT identifiers (such as intersex). The word is used with intentionality, awareness, and respect.