A revolutionary, global survey of queer art, featuring over 300 artworks created since the introduction of the term "homosexual" in 1869.

An unprecedented and historical new book, The First Homosexuals, tracks the evolution of homosexual identity through a collection of more than 300 paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints, photographs, and film stills from around the world – many of which are presented in a queer, global, and colonial context for the first time.

Accompanying the artworks are twenty-two original, insightful essays from leading experts in art and queer history, each focusing on a geographical region – from Japan and Australia to indigenous populations of South America.

From well-known masterpieces to works by unknown artists and pieces rarely examined in the context of sexuality, The First Homosexuals offers a striking and illuminating look at the first consciously queer art. The book accompanies a groundbreaking exhibition of the same name presented at Wrightwood 659 in Chicago.

The participating artists include: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Oscar Wilde, Thomas Eakins, John Singer Sargent, Félix Vallotton, Harriet Hosmer, Katsushika Hokusai, Kitagawa Utamaro, and many others.

Pages: 368, Year of Publication: 0708, Dimensions: 24.1x24.1cm