Catamite's Art Collection

Hideki Koh

2009-11-16T10:47:00.001-08:00

Hideki Koh ("Kinoe Hideki") was born in 1951 Kyoto, Japan
He is a highly skilled artist with a natural ability to harmonies colour and form, also unique composition. A master at capturing the beauty and mystery of the Japanese male. His works display young Japanese men in both subtle and highly erotic situations, using historical features such as tattoos and traditional costume to create a truly Japanese feel. With an extensive career in illustration, he has published work since 1970, as was published in Japan's first gay magazine Barazoku. Since 1998 he was responsible for the monthly cover of Barazoku (from No.11 1999 to December 2002 issue).
Drawing in pencil, Mr. Koh's work contrasts the colour of tattoos and clothe against monotone skin.

Most images are quite small, sorry about that

He is one of many successful Japanese artists who have held many solo exhibitions in Japan. He is also exhibited in USA and Australia.
1970 Began working as an illustrator with Design Company in Japan.
1978 Began working as an independent commercial illustrator.
1998 Began working as an independent original painter.
Spring of 2000, the first solo exhibition (painting exhibition Barazoku cover)
September 2000, exhibited works at the "Tom of Finland Erotic Art Show", Los Angels
Spring 2004, Melbourne Affordable Art Show invite
Summer 2009, "Boys Life" by 30 Japanese Artists. (Part of the 2009 Sydney Mardi Gras) invitation
His website offers lots of information about the artist - mostly in Japanese I am afraid.
To buy his work or find info on his next exhibition for the Sydney Mardis Gras 2010 visual arts program: 'Oh! Kinky desu ga?', click here

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Michelangelo (1475 - 1564)

2009-10-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (March 6, 1475 – February 18, 1564), commonly known as Michelangelo [wiki] Shame on you if I have to tell you about this guy. Watch the pictures (click to enlarge) and repeat after me: "O.M.G.!" If you're not a christian you might prefer f*cking h*ll and when you're really impressed by the fact that this is 500 years old, just drop your jaw.

Sistine Chapel:

And then you start wondering. This has been the pinnacle of Catholic-Christian art (and believe) for over five-hundred years: "Man in God's likeness." What made them change their minds on this? Why did they decide to paint these drapings over many original nudes during the recent 'restorations' of the Sistine Chapel? (Don't try to answer this, it's about religion and religion has no need for justification, so probably they don't even know themselves). My guess is they only recently realized that all art is about sex and most 'religious' tourists are wankers.

Sistine Chapel before restoration:

More:

Tityus

Rape of Ganymede

Battle of Cascina

About the images

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Jean Cocteau

2009-10-17T08:45:00.001-07:00

Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager, playwright, artist and filmmaker. Along with other Surrealists of his generation (Jean Anouilh and René Char for example) Cocteau grappled with the "algebra" of verbal codes old and new, mise en scène language and technologies of modernism to create a paradox: a classical avant-garde. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Édith Piaf, whom he cast in one of his one act plays entitled Le Bel Indifferent in 1940, and Raymond Radiguet.

His work was played out in the theatrical world of the Grands Theatres, the Boulevards and beyond during the Parisian epoque he both lived through and helped define and create. His versatile, unconventional approach and enormous output brought him international acclaim. He collaborated with a great many artists from his era. Well known are the illustrations he made to accompany the poems of his friends.

About the images

Illustrated:
* 1924 : Dessins
* 1925 : Le Mystère de Jean l'oiseleur
* 1926 : Maison de santé
* 1929 : 25 dessins d'un dormeur
* 1935 : 60 designs for Les Enfants Terribles
* 1941 : Drawings in the margins of Chevaliers de la Table ronde
* 1948 : Drôle de ménage
* 1957 : La Chapelle Saint-Pierre, Villefranche-sur-Mer
* 1958 : La Salle des mariages, City Hall of Menton - La Chapelle Saint-Pierre (lithographies)
* 1959 : Gondol des morts
* 1960 : Chapelle Saint-Blaise-des-Simples, Milly-la-Forêt
* Années 1960 : Windows of the Église Saint-Maximin de Metz

His lifestyle was inspiring for all free spirits and artists alike and his drug-[ab]use a firm ground for discussion. If this is the first time you get acquainted with Jean Cocteau, you should really find out more about him. [See wikipedia for an extensive article] This guy was so versatile in his expressions, I could run a blog just about him. Film, Painting, Theatre, Poetry, you name it, this guy has done it.
more images

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Classics from the 'New world'

2009-10-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

I could only find three pictures of nude men from the early America's and even two of those were made by European conquerors to show off their supremacy. One image however depicts a Mayan couple who are clearly in an amorous constraint kissing each other. I could not trace the originality of the image, but it suggests that amorous relationships among men were, at least once, recognized as a form of art. Anthropologists mention vast differences in attitude towards gay- or boy/man relationships among native tribes. Where in some groups these were commonly accepted while neighbouring groups recognized the tendencies towards these relationships but regarded them taboo.
Nudity, although common in 'the streets', was rarely depicted among native Americans on both subcontinents. Statues of embracing figures have been found in a highly stylized manner which suggest a ritual purpose rather then erotic aesthetics.

About the images

(Sorry 'bout that. I shouldn't do a subject when I haven't got the pics to support it. The third one 's not even a nude!)

The last decades the gay arts movement in south America is exploding with independent young talent with fresh new styles. I have mentioned some of them on this blog before and I'll definitely tell you more about some later.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Hugo Simberg

2009-09-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

(June 24 1873, Hamina - July 12 1917, Ähtäri) was a Finnish symbolist painter and graphic artist. In 1895 he became the private pupil of Akseli Gallen-Kallela [1;2;3] at his wilderness studio Kalela in Ruovesi. The two characters Simberg used most in his art are the "Poor Devil" and Death.
He also took photographs and made drawings of naked pre-pubescent boys, many carrying large wreaths. The wreath-bearing boys have a link with Simberg's earlier photographs [4], including 'Guido, Fish Boy', a boy sitting on a rock looking out to sea and Leo standing with his arm raised on a jetty. These images of boys reflect growth, change, puberty and sexual identity. The wreath-carriers are a central motif of the frescoes at the Tampere Cathedral [5;6], which Simberg painted between 1905 and 1906. Simberg's works mostly focus on the macabre and the supernatural, possessing a haunting, gloomy beauty. A good example of this is his painting Kuolema kuuntelee ("Death Listens") [7]. The painting depicts Death, personified as a skeleton wearing a black coat, listening with a bowed head as a young man plays the violin. On the background, there is an old woman lying on a bed, looking pale and sickly. The viewer is left with an impression that it is her that Death is there for, but that he has opted to stay his hand so the young man, possibly the dying woman's son, can have time to finish his playing.

Hugo Simberg's frescoes at the Tampere Cathedral

About the images

Simberg's famous The Wounded Angel [8], too, emits a gloomy atmosphere, its titular character appearing in the shape of a little blindfolded girl, borne on a stretcher by two sombrely dressed boys, one of whom looks out at the viewer with a serious expression. The painting is the best known of the artist's works and has become something of a national icon. The Finnish symphonic-metal band Nightwish released a music video in 2007, "Amaranth" [9], which is based on this particular painting.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

links:
- Akseli Gallen-Kallela [1] pictures, [2] wiki, [3] home
- Simberg's [4] earlier photographs [7] Kuolema kuuntelee (Death Listens, 1897), [8] Haavoittunut enkeli (The Wounded Angel, 1903), [10] Kuoleman puutarha (The Garden of Death, 1896)
- Tampere Cathedral [5] wiki [6] pictures
- Nightwish [9] Amaranth

Paul Cadmus

2009-09-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia:

Paul Cadmus (December 17, 1904 - December 12, 1999) was an American artist. He is best known for his paintings and drawings of nude male figures. His works combined elements of eroticism and social critique to produce a style often called magic realism. more..

GLBTQ:

American painter Paul Cadmus is best known for the satiric innocence of his frequently censored paintings of burly men in skin-tight clothes and curvaceous women in provocative poses, but he also created works that celebrate same-sex domesticity.
Born in New York City on December 17, 1904 into a family of commercial artists, Cadmus studied at the National Academy of Design and the Arts Students League. He lived in Europe from 1931 to 1933, where he traveled with artist Jared French and where he produced his first mature canvases. more..

Naval Historical Center:

When the topic of government censorship of art is discussed, frequently the story of the painting by Works Progress Administration (WPA) artist Paul Cadmus entitled "The Fleet's In!" is told. The fact that it was removed from an exhibit of WPA art at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1934 is well known, but what happened to it afterwards is not. The following chronology is intended to provide background on this painting's very significant place in American art history. more..

queer-arts.org:

In the gorgeous, occasionally garish, always gratifying works of the great American artist Paul Cadmus, sailors and sunbathers, models and mannequins, nitwits and nudes all are suffused with a sensuality born equally of idyllic splendor and urban squalor, natural grace and graceful artifice. Active since the 1930s as a renderer of pretty boys and ugly ploys, Cadmus has.. more..

ArtCyclopedia:

Paintings in Museums and Public Art Galleries:
- Art Institute of Chicago NEW!
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
- Museum of Modern Art, New York City
- Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio
- more..

About the images

ArtNet:

Artworks for sale (16) ..

Google:

more images..

Update Sept 8 2009:

Removed some misplaced images thanks to Dmitry...

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Orpheo

2009-08-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland. He makes paintings and drawings since preschool, but he never had an exhibition yet. He was spotted by DESTROYER magazine (no.7) that had a double-page publication on his 'silkscreen prints on cardboard boxes'.

About the images

His favourite subject is 'boys', mostly streetboys and he also experiments with photography, which resulted in pictures like these:

Other works:

About the images

Due to the financial crisis Orpheo recently lost his atelier. He is not (yet) represented by any gallery. You can contact him for exhibitions, publications, etc. at electrosmog[at]gmx.ch

references: flickr, obstgarten, Orpheo on rinrin, boysboysboys, slideshow by orpheo

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Update Aug. 4 2009:

removed one photo on the Artists request.

Antonio Rueda

2009-07-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

was born in Seville, Spain.
Like many successful artists he did not have a formal education in painting, but was always artistic and painted a lot when he was a child. He had an education in Human resources and graduated in Art History in 2005.
He is multi talented as shown by his directorship for the theatre company 'ESCENA ABIERTA' from Seville, but his real passion lies with painting.
His work captures a great feel for a life of passion, eroticism under a hot Mediterranean sun.
He writes: "I think that homo-erotic art comes from the depths of the soul, where we show the truth plainly and without fear. Art is like a life, this is my philosophy. We must be consistent the art is expression of the emotions and to be able communicate with the people and make happy to them."
Antonio is influenced by artists that express themselves in vibrant colours and strong forms like: Paul Klee, Miró, and Frida Kahalo. Influences such fashion, cinema, photography and theatre are essential in his work.

His interest also broadens to surrealism and symbolism, pop art and all contemporary gays paintings and artists. He organizes exhibitions for fellow artist with verve and passion.

About the images

Links:
Antonio Rueda on mySpace, Antonio on faceBook, Escena Abierta on mySpace, Espacio Vacio Chipiona blog, Chipiona.net - gallery

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Gio Black Peter

2009-07-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

is quite a multi talented young New Yorker. Actually I think one doesn't need a lot of words here, just see (and hear) for yourself.

A random selection of his paintings:

Representatives:
Envoy Gallery: Gio Black Peter Images, Galleri s.e: Gio Black Peter, Artworks for sale online (2).

Acting:
When he was about 15 years old he played 'Charley' in Eban and Charley (2000) [review: Grenoble international gay and lesbian film festival 2002]. More recent he played the role of 'Rudolf' in Otto; or, Up with Dead People (2008).
Peephole Confession:

Music:
In 2007 the "Black Peter Group" was formed and took the music scene by surprise.
It's fucked up (2008):

Their life performance is one of great vigour and energy and it seems hard for Gio to keep his clothes on during the gig. Really get what you pay for there. Maybe even more then you expected. There are a lot of clips on YouTube to psych you up for a 'concert'. More information at East Village Boys.
Follow:
Upcoming events and current activities (in Europe) for Gio and his band are announced on his blog BLACK PETER WUZ HERE ...
or watch his pages on: FaceBook, MySpace, BlackPeterGroup on MySpace, Blogger, Twitter

Photo's of very cute and almost naked Gio

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Souw TikHien

2009-07-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

Souw TikHien (Hokkien pronounciation), or Su Di Heng (PIN-YIN notation) was born in Bandung, Indonesia (1965) and is currently residing in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
He is from an Asian (peranakan) background with European upbringing. He uses traditional Asian materials and expressions to articulate western paradigm in an effort to bridge cultural and artistic differences.
His work consists mostly of line-art and drawings in ink and mixed media paintings on (rice-)paper. Often using a combination of materials that can only be described as delicate and which leaves no room for mistakes. His work can be found in the (on-line) collection of William Maltese, in private collections in Taiwan, Ireland, the Netherlands and was sold among art lovers in Belgium, Italy, France, Swiss and the United States.
His on-line gallery can be found at souwtikhien.com, his video exposures at youtube and exhibition announcements are published through souwthee.blogspot.

These images come from the Catamite Gay Collections which are no longer available.

Modern artists are often no longer bound to one medium as I mentioned before on Peter Flinch who is also a gifted television maker. So is TikHien also a dancer. I've included some examples here.

You can see more of his movements and erotic escapades:
He has a blog on sensuality, livejasmin video performances and nudodoll's Public Videos (previews).
If you're lover of this kind of work and/or want to support the artist, you might like to invest in his work while he's climbing.
For questions and info, you can chat with the artist at:
MSN: souwtikhien[at]hotmail.com, gayromeo or fridae.
Follow him on FaceBook.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Update 7/19/09 2:27

Removed price-indications on request by the artist.

Symon (1947-..)

2009-07-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

Born in 1947, Symon has lived in Bali since 1978 and is best known for his bold portraits of sensual young Balinese men, done in vivid tropical colours and often to an exaggerated scale, as in his series of Big Heads. His energetic and sometimes whimsical take on Balinese life and landscapes makes a refreshing change from the more sedate traditional views so popular with many other Ubud artists.

Symon's Studio

The Art Zoo - Alas Sari
Art lovers from everywhere will point up that Symon's studio in Champuan, Ubud-Bali, is the hot spot to find a new pop contemporary lifestyle.
Symon Studio's can be compared to an art workshop like in the times of Rembrandt, this means not all work you buy at the studio's are made by 'the master' himself. Some paintings are made by 'students', which often are truth artists by themselves or by artists that joined the studio's for inspiration and the beautiful surroundings. You will be amazed to see so many original paintings at reasonable prices. An opportunity on your trips to Bali compared to the usual souvenirs you bring home.

Art Zoo North East

These images come from the Catamite Gay Collections which are no longer available.

books:
- Symon's Lovebook of Fine Oils can be downloaded as an e-book!
- Symon's Circus at the Art Zoo by Symon Studios (Book) in Arts & Photography : A pop comic collection of Symon's work and impressions in a comic book format. Funny, whimsical, maybe a little insane. It's all par for the course at Symon's Circus!
the book can be downloaded as an e-book, or ordered in paperback on-line.

Symon Studio's

Symon's pages

stores.lulu
zo-babble

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Update:

Added facebook link.

Hay Wijnhoven

2009-07-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

lives and works in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Had a training at the Art-acadamy (HKA) in Arnhem, where he concluded his studie in graphic design in 1990. He did a course on bronze-casting at artist centre 'de Olifant' in Nijmegen in 1994.
In his work he controls many different styles, techniques and materials.
The lino-cutting and bronzes are usually figurative having people and nature as the main themes. In his conceptual work he makes use of existing objects or images. Form and contents contract a game with each other.
Hay had a great number of expositions in the Netherlands, but except from an occasional blogger has not been discovered by the greater public.

expositions

- Hollandse Jongens en Mooie Meiden II, Galerie Mooi Man - Groningen, 9/12/2007 - 20/1/2008.
- Merels in je tuin, Lange Hezelstraat 18, Nijmegen, 7 July - 19 augustsus 2007, etalageproject.
- Hollandse jongens en mooie meiden, Arnhem Galerie de Buytensael, 12 nov. - 26 dec. 2006.
- Valuascollege, Venlo, 8 October - 15 October 2006.
- Etalageproject ' Het Groeit', Witte Kerkje Ubbergen, 8-9 April 2006.
- Gelre Galeries, Galeriebeurs, Eusebiuskerk Arnhem, 9 - 12 March 2006, De Buytensael.
- Galerie Magenta, Nijmegen, 18 - 31 decemer 2005.
- Etalageproject ' Het Groeit', Lange Hezelstraat Nijmegen, 20 September - 20 October 2005, slot 8-9 April 2006 Witte Kerkje Ubbergen.
- Galerie Faubourg, Amsterdam, 2 October - 10 November 2005, Bronstijd.
- Kunstenaarscentrum 'De Olifant', Persingen, 10, 11 September 2005, werk uit bronsgieterij en grafische werkplaats.
- Passanten/Voorbijgangers, Galerie Faubourg - Amsterdam, 1/7/2005 - 30/8/2005.
- beeldenroute, Ruurlo, 2 July - 3 September 2005, Labyrint route.
- Villa Lila, Nijmegen, 9 January – 9 March 2005, Schoffies & schoothondjes, with Bart Drost.
- beeldenroute , Ooijpolder, Millingerwaard, 15 May – 31 October 2004, Buren & Beelden.
- Galerie Stijl, Arnhem, 6/6/2004 - 5/7/2004, Maskers.
- Antiquariaat Jos Wijnhoven, Deventer, 17 October – 21 November 2004.
- Galerie Faubourg, Amsterdam, 13 June – 7 July 2004, Elf jaar is een plus tien.
- Villa Lila, Nijmegen, 12/3/2004 - 29/4/2004.
- Galerie Faubourg, Amsterdam, 24 November – 13 January 2002.
- Galerie Magenta, Nijmegen, 27 July – 29 August 2001, Denkend aan Holland, beelden in de Waalkamer.
- Museum Mooi Nederland, Beek-Ubbergen, April 1996.
- Eetcafé Downtown, Amsterdam, May 1996.
- Galerie Ho-Eenseven, Arkel, 23 November - 3 February 1996.
- Villa Lila, Nijmegen, 3 September – 1 October 1993.

These images come from the Catamite Gay Collections which are no longer available.

These organisations offer his work and organise expositions:
Antiquariaat Jos Wijnhoven, Deventer, the netherlands.
Galerie Mooiman, Groningen, the Netherlands (gallery)
Villa Lila, Nijmegen, the Netherlands (gallery)

Galerie Faubourg, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (gallery)

More links on the artist homepage (in Dutch)

Follow your passion,
Catamite

11 artists, a gallery ...

2009-07-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Are we experiencing a revolution in the arts of the male body? I think we do. Some tell me: "It's so hard these days to find male nudes in the arts." But I don't think so. It's never been around this much since the renaissance. The list of artists creating paintings, photo's and sculptures of the male nude is almost endless.
Just to give you some examples:
I'll start by a small country like the Netherlands (I agree relatively open-minded, but still subject to the porn=money relationship).
One gallery Faubourg for example hosts "1. Fred Blei, 2. Hannes Steinert, 3. Heiko Noack Plas, 4. Herman Schulte, 5. Jacques Gregoire, 6. Martin Arz, 7. Riccardo Rosatti, 8. Rinaldo Hopf, 9. Wim van Gerven, 10. Jaap v. Ek, 11. Martin-Jan Van Santen" (previews below).

At this very moment the following artists have a running exhibition (we are still in the Netherlands):
Alexander von Agoston (painting), Ron Amir (painting), Wiebren Arema (painting), Martin Arz (painting), Roland Berger (graphics), Valentin Bakardjiev (painting), Stephen Beale (sculpture), Johan van Breukelen (photography), Ewoud Broeksma (photography), Robert Cash (painting/drawing), Danny Cobbaut (painting), Dennis Coenraad (sculpture), Peter Colstee (painting), Joost Dirken (mixed media), Uli Dirkorte (painting/aquarel), Jaap van Ek (painting), Mario de Graaf (painting), Jan Mattheus de Grauw (mixed media), Frank Gabriël (photography), Jan Griffioen (photography), Bastiaan de Groot (sculpture), Douglas Holtquist (sculpture), Albert Jongs (photography), Marcel Joosen (sculpture), Pascual Jordan (painting), Jannes Koetsier (painting), René Kuipers (painting), Rolf Maas (painting/photography/sculpture/drawing), Cornelius McCarthy (aquarel/drawing), Bart Mertens (painting/drawing), Caroline van der Merwe (sculpture), Klaas Mulder (sculpture en ceramics), Michaël Müller (painting), Muskboy (drawing [pen]/aquarel), Frans van Oirschot (painting), Peter Schauwecker (painting/aquarel), Wim Poort (painting), Sacrevoir (painting/drawing), Martin-Jan van Santen (painting), Harald Seiwert (photography), Reinoud Stam (sculpture), Hannes Steinert (lino’s and etching), Antoine Timmermans (ceramics), Freek Weidema (sculpture), Sander Wiersma (aquarel/mixed media), Erik Tode (mixed media), Marcel Warmenhoven (ceramics), Hay Wijnhoven (sculpture/graphics), René Zuiderveld (photography), Nebojsa Zdravkovic (painting). All on our beloved subject.
While 'overview' exhibitions like the one at pulchri studio's (where I first found out about MuskBoy) have already closed down.

That's just the Netherlands you say, what about the rest of the world? Well ask Leon Engelen, he's just as passionate about the subject as I am and created an extensive list of fellow artists (15 pages), which will keep you busy for the next couple of months.
Don't forget artists are people too and need to be fed once in a while. Buy something! Even if you can only afford a small sketch made by an art student. BUY it!! (damn you!, buy!)

Follow your passion,
Catamite
PS. Some of these images come from the Catamite Gay Collections which are no longer available.

Update

I've added links to the names as I found them.

Felix d'Eon

2009-06-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

was born in Guadalajara, Mexico to a Mexican mother and a French father. He moved to America by the age of 5, and spent his childhood and teenage years moving around Southern Californian and Mexico. His mother, a fashion designer, was very accepting of his homosexuality and encouraging of his artistic inclinations, so at 18 he moved to San Francisco where he has lived ever since, with long breaks spent in Tennessee, New Orleans, Hawaii, and Hollywood. He attended the Academy of Art University, a school that emphasizes classical technique, and he graduated 4 years ago with honours. He put himself through school and worked for some years afterwards as an artist’s model, but has recently found some measure of success as an artist, and has decided to devote himself full time to his craft.
Felix's work is collected the world over, by individuals who marvel at his technical abilities, appreciate his mastery of the male form, enjoy his classical narrative scenarios, and enjoy the pleasures afforded by his beautiful models.

On his blog [latest post: December 15, 2008] he writes: "I am a gay, Mexican artist living in San Francisco and totally devoted to the art of the male nude. I have a twin whom I love very much and who is my co-conspirator in evil (the very talented musician Marcelito d'Eon), and have a positive addiction to travelling, which I do as often and for as long as possible, preferably to exotic places where the people wear awesome clothes or else don't wear clothes at all (costumes being my other great artistic love, although rarely post my travel drawings)."

Be sure to visit his website at felixdeon.com and/or flickr photostream.
Search more..

These images come from the Catamite Gay Collections which, as we all know, are no longer available.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Raphael Perez 1965 -

2009-06-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

Raphael Perez, was born in 1965 and was raised in Jerusalem. He currently resides and works in Tel-Aviv. He is a graduate of the Jerusalem school of Visual Arts where he studied from 1988 through 1992 and where many of his acrylic, oil, laminated wood pieces and drawings can be found. The entire concept of a relationship and sentiments between two people is brought to light. In each painting there is an evident contrast between shade and light. The colour red is central to his paintings and consistently symbolizes masculinity, passion and dominance.
Perez`s creations deal with the subject of homosexuality. He puts a strong emphasis on single-sex families, pride parades, soldiers, male birth giving, portraits, male nudity, as well as male, female and heterosexual couples. His paintings put to test the boundaries between eroticism and art, while characterizing gay relationships and love as they are expressed in everyday life.
Two primary styles dominate the Raphael Perez paintings:
- Realistic Paintings.
The early period of the artist's work is characterized by a clear division of his paintings by topics such as woman, man, man and woman, two women, and two men. The techniques that were applied
are characterized as sharp and meticulous, with smooth colour placement, expressiveness and materialism,
which symbolize the restraint experienced by the artist during this period in his life. It was during this
period that the artist had been involved in relationships with women.
- Naive paintings.
His creations deal with the subject of homosexuality. He puts a strong emphasis on the topics of single-sex families and parenthood, pride parades, male birth giving, portraits, male nudity, as well as male, female and heterosexual couples. His works put to test the boundaries between eroticism and art, while characterizing homosexual relationships and love as they are expressed in everyday life and everyday situations in the kitchen, bathroom, balcony, saloon.

Exhibitions
2004 "A time for art" - love art exhibition
2004 Offir gallery - Group Exhibition-GLBT Artists of Israel
2004 Photogen - Naive paintings
2004 Offir gallery - artists of the gallery
2004 Dungeon - erotic art exhibit
2004 Shiraz - caffee gallery
2003 Tel Aviv Museum-Group Exhibition
2003 Gallery Offir-Group Exhibition-GLBT Artists of Israel
2002 Haifa GLBT community center
2002 GLBT community Center in the Galilee
2001 Jerusalem Open House
2000 Cafe Gallery THEO - Tel Aviv
1998 Flamingo Restaurant Gallery - Tel Aviv
1997 Camera Obscura (Curator Department) - Tel Aviv

Raphael is generous when it comes to copyrights and therefore a lot of his work was distributed throughout the internet. Search any art-site and you'll probably find something. His official homepage is at gaypaintings.com and you can find some additional information here and here.

These images come from the Catamite Gay Collections which, as we all know, are no longer available.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Pierre and Gilles

2009-06-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

One is a painter, the other photographer.
Pierre Commoy was born at La Roche sur Yon in France. At the age of thirteen he was already singing at the casino in Luchon. He studied in Geneva and did his military service in Provins. In 1973 he arrived in Paris where he did his first photographic work for music and fashion magazines.
Gilles Blanchard was born at Le Havre in France as one of nine siblings. At the age of fifteen he entered the Academy of Art there and graduated with distinction. In 1973 he moved to Paris, where he did collages and paintings as well as illustrations for magazines and advertisements.
1976 Pierre and Gilles meet at a party and leave together.
1977 They decide to collaborate on artistic work, made a visit Morocco together and begin to work, mixing painting by Gilles with photographs by Pierre, creating a fantastic, unique, maybe even overly romanticised world. Addressing issues such as gay culture and pop culture, based on their experiences during their many trips.
1978 They design the invitation to a Thierry Mugler fashion show. They work for magazines such as Marie Claire, Playboy and design album covers. They move into a studio in the Bastille quarter of Paris.
1979 Every evening their photos are projected on the wall of PALACE a Paris discoteque for which they also design posters.
1980 They visit Sri Lanka and the Maldives Islands. They do their first open air work "Les Enfants des Iles" (series) Magazine Covers include Actuel, Samourai, Gay Pied.
1982 They exhibit in a group show at the Viviane Esders Gallery, Paris. They provide designs for Lio and Etienne Daho album covers.
1983 Solo Exhibition at Texbraun Gallery, Paris. Work from their sequences "Les Paradis" and "Les Garcons de Paris" is exhibited.
1984 Exhibition at Atelier 84 in the Musee d Art Moderne and the Centre Georges Pompidou , Paris.
1985 First Retrospective of their work in Japan at the Ginza Gallery. They do the first of four album covers for the Japanese Singer Sandii. Exhibition at Saluces Gallery, Avignon.
1986 they created their first video "Naufrage en hiver" for Mikado. Solo shows at Samia Saouma Gallery, Paris, Musee d'Art Contemporain Montreal.
(from the book "Pierre et Gilles" 1993 by Benedict Taschen , Cologne Germany ISBN 3-8228-9377-3).

Their productions are sought after by magazines, but other artists also call this couple the 'image out of the ordinary'. They realized album covers for Lio, Etienne Daho the English group Erasure, Khaled and the Japanese singer Sandiya, and did book-covers for Jean-Paul Gaultier and Sylvie Vartan. Their pictures are copied around the world and more recently they had had exhibitions in China. In 2007, Le Jeu de Paume opened its doors. Pierre et Gilles created a parallel universe.
Their success continues to spread throughout the world, proof that the world of kitsch, too, is fascinating.

Biographie de Pierre et Gilles
more images

These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which, as we all know, are no longer available.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Kira Od

2009-06-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

Born 1960, New York City. Self-taught. About 5'-3" with enough hair to cover a nine-week-old chihuahua, but not enough to keep it warm. Has a depraved sense of humor which is only exacerbated by caffeine. Real talent is imitating animals, which once won her an all-expense-paid trip to the San Diego Zoo. Would have stayed, but the spare cages were full. In desperation, she went home and became a sculptor who creates hybrids, "specially designed to be a bold reminder of our biological and ethological roots".. This is the woman your mother could not possibly have warned you about.

Real reading about Kira Od on her website. Interview on Close Up.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Smiling boy

2009-06-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Today not the kind of posting you are used to see on this blog. It's too hot to stay indoors to write you a review that does right to the artist.
I hope you all accept my apologies, by offering you a substitute artform. I have no information on this sculpture, but I think it's the most wonderfull I've seen in a long time. Do you know anything on the artist, location or name of the sculpture, please fill me in! I will love you for it.

These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which, as we all know, are no longer available.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Peter Flinsch (1920- )

2009-06-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

although Flinsch is now a Canadian citizen, he was born in 1920 into a well-to-do upper-bourgeois family whose home was Leipzig, Germany. Educated at liberal, private boarding schools, he served during World War II in the German air force. It was not a happy experience. In 1942 he was accused of homosexual behavior by a sergeant who disliked him. "I hadn't done what I was accused of," Flinsch says, "but I knew I was gay and admitted I had gay feelings during my court-martial. It was quite enough for the military court to find me guilty."
When he was 35, he settled in Montreal where he joined the newly formed television services of Radio-Canada as a designer and art director. He worked on a great diversity of television programs and created designs for children's shows, operas, dramas, weekly series and variety shows.
In addition to his professional activities, he created a huge volume of work consisting of drawings, paintings and sculptures. After a period of close-to-abstract art his work became more and more figurative and was chiefly dedicated to the depiction of the male body. Following his departure from Radio-Canada in 1985 this creative thrust was given full expression. Flinsch is represented in public and private collections in Canada, the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, and France. Besides LLGAF he has had solo shows at galleries in Montreal, Toronto, and Oshawa in Canada; Amsterdam in the Netherlands; and Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Lübeck, and Hagen in Germany.

source: Peter Flinsch website

These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which, as we all know, are no longer available.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

ancient Egypt

2009-06-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

If human culture seems obsessed with sex lately, it's nothing new. Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known artistic representation of a woman - a carved ivory statue of a naked female, dating from 35,000 years ago.
Yet, studying homosexuality in ancient Egypt is a difficult task. Not a single legal text has survived from ancient Egypt (in contrast to elsewhere in the ancient Near East); and no sure evidence points to cult prostitution taking root there (until the late Roman period). In fact, sexual intercourse was viewed as ritually defiling in sacred places. Explicitly sexual motifs in art and literature are limited, and coded images and metaphors often confront the investigator. We all recognize a phallus-symbol in the many obelisks although this is hardly ever mentioned by scholars. Also, as Egyptologist R.B. Parkinson [latest translation] puts it, "the subject [of homosexuality in ancient Egypt] is surrounded by modern as well as ancient taboos…". Edgar Gregersen noted how some Egyptologists have been embarrassed by statues of the god Min, who is always depicted with an erection; and he reported on one young museum curator who was surprised to discover a box containing over a dozen wooden phalli that had been hacked off of Min statues in the museum and then hidden away. Today more open-minded research is being done, although academic homophobia still exists and some of the resources linked here, are in fact scientists trying to explain that these sources should not be interpreted as same sex relationships (It's no use showing a Rembrandt to a blind man).
The tomb of the Two Manicurists:
Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep and the topic of same-sex desire: On the eastern wall of the offering chamber, the identical pair are shown in the most intimate embrace possible within the canons of ancient Egyptian art. Niankhkhnum is on the right grasping his companion's right forearm; Khnumhotep, on the left, has his left arm across the other man's back, tightly clasping his shoulder. Again the tips of the men's noses are touching and this time their torsos are so close together that the knots on the belts of their kilts appear to be touching, perhaps even tied together. Here, in the innermost private part of their joint-tomb, the two men stand in an embrace meant to last for eternity.

Six major sources have been related to homosexuality in ancient Egypt:
(1) Conflict of Horus and Seth,
(2) Book of the Dead,
(3) Teaching of Vizier Ptahhotep,
(4) Neferkare's Affair with General Sisene,
(5) Akhenaten's Disappearing Boyfriend, and
(6) Tomb of the Two Manicurists (Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep).

These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which as we all know are no longer available.
Follow your passion,
Catamite

Don Gene Bell (1935-..)

2009-06-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Don Gene Bell was born in 1935 in Indiana.
He was raised in Dayton and rural Indiana. After attending the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts he became a designer in a studio there. During a stint in the army he became artist in the Helicopter headquarters in Ludwigsburgh, Germany. Bell then attended Indiana University where he received his BA and MFA degrees. While there he studied with George Sadek. Bell worked as an artist for the Indiana University Educational Television and was a curator and designer for the Indiana University Museum. He then moved to Binghamton, New York where he worked as a teacher at the State University of New York. Bell has participated in numerous exhibitions of his work in and around New York, including the Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation. Since the website on leslielohman.org (the place where his work was previously published) is no longer there, I cannot be sure that all pictures below actually are created by him. Latest news was that he now lives and works in Tucson, Arizona.

Update June 25 2009:

Added the images below. Thanks to Tom for providing these images.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which as we all know is no longer available.

John William Waterhouse (1849-1917)

2009-06-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which as we all know is no longer available.

John William Waterhouse was born in Rome, and was always known by his family, and personal friends as Nino, the diminutive of the Italian Giovanino. Both his parents were artists. What is known indicates he was a retiring, shy man.
Early in his career Waterhouse established his style. It changed little, but he continually refined it. He was an eclectic painter. He painted Pre-Raphaelite pictures in a more modern manner.
In the mid-1880s Waterhouse began exhibiting with the Grosvenor Gallery and its successor, the New Gallery, as well as at provincial exhibitions in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. Paintings of this period, such as Mariamne, were exhibited widely in England and abroad as part of the international symbolist movement. The well-known Italian male model, Angelo Colorossi, who sat for Leighton, Millais, Sargent, Watts, Burne-Jones and many other Victorian artists, also sat for Waterhouse.
Mr J. W. Waterhouse died at his house in St John's Wood on Saturday, after a long illness in his 68th year.

More on John William Waterhouse and JWWaterhouse.com

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Ben Kimura (1947-2003)

2009-06-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which as we all know is no longer available.

Ben Kimura (January 1947 - February 18, 2003) was the "face" of Japanese gay magazines (Tagame's encomium) from the early 1970s through 2002. He provided the covers and story illustrations for virtually all the issues of Barazoku and Sabu magazines during that time. Kimura' style is unique among contemporary Japanese homoerotic artists. The bodies are idealized yet alluringly masculine. The faces are boyish yet with realistic expressions; petulant, moody, brooding, soulful, or pouty yet always sensuous.
According to Tagame's biography of Ben Kimura in Gay Erotic Art in Japan , Kimura also produced stories and comics for those two publications but I have never seen any of these reproduced in what manga are available in the west.
The representative works of Ben Kimura presented here are from a tribute edition of Tan Pan Body published shortly after his sudden and unexpected death from a heart attack in 2003. Tan Pan Body is primarily a collection of covers done for Sabu magazine prior to 1997. Kimura's total canon is huge and now in the hands of his partner and artistic executor Kihira Kai. Works from this collection are still being published in G-Men magazine.
Kimura also had a hand in early YAOI publications of June and Allan in illustrations he provided for these magazines.

- Tan Pan Body is available at .
- G-men at (in Japanese).
- More images at badongo (82 pics, zipped).

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610)

2009-06-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which as we all know is no longer available.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, (29 September 1571–18 July 1610) was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. He was the first great representative of the Baroque school of painting, noted for his intensely emotional canvases and dramatic use of lighting.[1] He is widely considered one of the greatest painters in European history.

Left to right: 'Amor Victorious', 'St. John the Baptist I', 'The Death of the Virgin'.

Left to right: 'St. John the Baptist c. 1604', 'St. John the Baptist c. 1610', 'St. John the Baptist'.

Left to right: 'Bacchus c. 1596', 'Cupid chastized', 'Narcissus'.

Left to right: 'La Valeta, St John cathedral, Malta', 'The Supper at Emmaus c. 1601' , 'The Martyrdom of St. Matthew'.

You can read more about Caravaggio at these selected pages: Caravaggio - The Complete Works, The Artchive or wikipedia. For pictures you can as always rely on google images

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Chinese classics

2009-06-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which as we all know is no longer available.

Lot's going on in this China-classics section. First the Statue at the entrance of the sex museum in Tong Li. Then three images of the late Qing paintings on silk. The transcript reads: 'Young actor and young man of letters sipping tea'. Must be very hot tea! The next two images are called Under the mulberry tree.
The black and white is a woodcut print named "The way of the academians." The silkscreen painting just below that is called "actor", I don't think it's acting what he does, but my guess is; 'the bottom is an actor'. Starting to see a theme? The next one is a scene in a brothel as depicted in the late 19th century. The wallscreen below that is again filled with actors and academians. One might start to think that gay live was commonly associated with the upper class. Not truth, gay sex was in no way regarded differently from other forms of sexuality. As one can see on the China- (or Beijing-) scroll at the bottom (Qing dynasty, late 19th century), [gay-]sexuality was something thought on some academies and were encouraged to be explored among themselves.
The last picture is again from the courtyard of the Tong Li sex museum. by the way: the museum no longer exists.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Malcolm Lidbury (1959-..)

2009-06-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which as we all know are no longer available.
Malcolm Lidbury (aka Pink Pasty)
was born in Barnet Middlesex in 1959, the younger of two sons. He moved to Cornwall in 1977, worked as a herdsman, antique restorer and for one of the last tin mines in Cornwall. He served six months in prison in 1988. He has been married once and divorced.
1989 he came ‘out’ as a gay man. He was founder, publisher, & editor of the ‘Independent Cornish Triangle’, a local LGBT newsletter with over 1,000 subscribers in Cornwall.
In 2007, an Independent Police Complaints Commission complaint enquiry made Twenty-Two recommendations of improvement of service to Devon & Cornwall Constabulary following complaints by Lidbury and a protracted period of conflict with Cornwall police.
For a decade Malcolm Lidbury was a driving force for gay equality and HIV issues in Cornwall and the south west. Then about two years ago he virtually disappeared from gay life. The death of his partner, a suicide attempt and a victim of discrimination all being contributory factors, but now according to his fans he's back on the up.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Cornish boys

2009-06-16T04:39:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Here an example of how we regard the art of the (young) male body today and how the Cornwall police acts upon it.

Gay Cornwall lgbt NEWS by Pink Pasty
Follow your passion,
Catamite

Henry Scott Tuke (1858–1929)

2009-06-16T04:26:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which as we all know are no longer available.

Henry Scott Tuke [self-portrait], RA (12 June 1858–13 March 1929), was a British visual artist; primarily a painter, but also a photographer. His most notable work was in the Impressionist style, and he is probably best known for his depictions of nude boys and young men. Because of this, he is considered to be a pioneer of gay male culture.

more images

Update June 24 2009:

Removed a picture that was made by Areko, my apologies.

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Iranian / Persian classics

2009-06-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which as we all know are no longer available.

Pederasty as idealized by the ancient Greeks, was a relationship and bond between an adolescent boy and an adult man outside of his immediate family. In a wider sense it refers to erotic love and sexuality between adolescents and adult men. In those societies where pederasty is prevalent, it appears as one form of a widely practiced male bisexuality. In antiquity, pederasty as a moral and educational institution was practiced in Ancient Greece and Rome. Other forms of it were common, and also found among the Celts (as per Aristotle, Politics, II 6.6. Athen. XIII 603a) and among the Persians (as per Herodotus 1.135).
Sexual expression between adults and adolescents is not well studied and since the 1990s has been often confused with pedophilia. Such relationships raise issues of morality and functionality, agency for the youth, and parental authority. They may also raise issues of legality in those cases where the minor is below the age of consent.

more on nationmaster and/or gay-art-history

Follow your passion,
Catamite

Sadao Hasegawa (1945 ? - 1999)

2009-06-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
In this blog I will treat you with the most beautiful images and artist in the world. Well that's my opinion anyway. These images come from the Catamite Gay Asian Collections which as we all know are no longer available.

Today I'll start by introducing to you Sadao Hasegawa a talented Japanese painter. This talented Tokyoite was obsessed from his childhood by visions of tremendous sexual power, often based on Japanese Folk-tales and Matsuri (Festival-Lore). His work has been used for many years by the major Japanese Gay Magazines for their marvelous covers and story illustrations. Because of rather stringent (and out-of-date) censorship laws his work was almost always doctored with patches, shadings, and chopping. It has never been published in it's original form in Japan.
Technically his work is amazing. He burns the edges of his paper, drips paint, makes smudges or cum-stains, all very deliberately for effect. His control and color are breathtaking. Unfortunately his very explicit images tend to shock most people and even if they admire his work they don't buy it. For some reason they worry too much about what someone else will think. (Aunt Tillie - mother ???).
Few Galleries will display it and putting them before the market has proven to be a bit more than difficult. The price was kept low, considering the costs of the separations, paper and the quality of printing.
Sadao ended his life by committing suicide on November 20, 1999 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Follow your passion,
Catamite