Art Historian to Trace Homoerotic Imagery From Ancient Greece to Modern Queer Identity
As part of its ongoing Pride Month programming, the Getty Museum will host a virtual lecture on Thursday, June 26, 2025, spotlighting the influence of homoerotic imagery in ancient Greek art on the development of modern queer aesthetics.
Titled “Ancient Greek Homoeroticism and Modern Queer Beauty,” the talk will be led by Whitney Davis, a professor in the Graduate School at UC Berkeley and Distinguished Scholar of the NOMIS Foundation in Zürich. The free event begins at 11:00 a.m. via Zoom. You can register here.
Davis will trace the artistic and cultural legacy of male nudity and homoeroticism in ancient Greek sculpture and vase painting, illustrating how these visual traditions shaped evolving ideals of “queer beauty” in Western art. The lecture will connect artistic traditions from the Neoclassical period to the late 20th century, including the work of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
Drawing from his acclaimed book Queer Beauty: Sexuality and Aesthetics from Winckelmann to Freud and Beyond, Davis will explore how classical representations of the male body contributed to queer subjectivity and identity over time. His current research includes an intellectual biography of Victorian writer and sex reformer John Addington Symonds.
The event is part of the Getty’s Queer Exhibitions and Events series, designed to elevate LGBTQ+ scholarship and perspectives in the arts. Registrants will receive Zoom access details upon confirmation.
