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Arts Intel Report

The First Homosexuals: The Birth of New Identities 1869–1939

Irène Zurkinden, Freundinnen, 1937.

Mar 7 – Aug 2, 2026
St. Alban-Graben 16, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

The term homosexual was coined in 1869. Before that, same-sex desire was seen to be incidental—something that was done, not something that defined you. But by the early-20th century, society was drawing lines and the “homosexual” was set apart as different or deviant or “other.” And yet, human sexual expression is too fluid and nuanced to be slotted as this or that. Art and its imagery captures the continuum much better. Hence this exhibition, which was first organized by Alphawood Exhibitions at Wrightwood 659, Chicago, and gathers 300 works dating from 1869 to the present—painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and film. Giovanni Boldini, Rosa Bonheur, and Roberto Montenegro are among the 125 artists in the show. —Elena Clavarino

Photo: Max Ehrengruber © Nachlass der Künstlerin / estate of the artist/ Kunstmuseum Basel, Überweisung des Finanzdepartements

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