London’s National Portrait Gallery has a stunning new Exhibit that beautifully documents the vibrant 1980s London art and club scene with photographs of many of its gay stylish leaders such as Leigh Bowery, Derek Jarman and Gilbert & George.
Before We Were Men is the work of photographer David Gwinnut who has captured the generation of young creatives that emerged in London against a backdrop of financial recession and unemployment at that time. They include previously unseen images of artists like Duggie Fields, fashion designers Stephen Linard and Bodymap’s David Holah and filmmaker John Maybury.
The title of the exhibit ‘Before We Were Men’ comes about because this London scene then was predominantly made up of young men, who in the following years would go on to become influential in the worlds of art, film, fashion and music. The display also celebrates the 1980s as a moment when figures such as Leigh Bowery and his one time lover Trojan, began to play with gender identity and redefined the idea of what a man could be.
David Gwinnutt: Before We Were Men
9 March – 24 September 2017
Room 39 National Portrait Gallery, London
Labels: 2017, culture, David Gwinnutt, gay history, London, photographs
