Over the course of his half-century professional career, Jack Mitchell (September 13th, 1925—November 7th, 2013) chronicled a unique history of creators in the fields of dance, theater, music, the fine arts, film, and television. Within this impressive body of work exist images of celebrated individuals whose public and private lives represent a broad spectrum of queer identity.

The photographs spotlighted here span the period from 1962 to 1991, a tumultuous and transformative era in LGBTQ+ history. There was the birth of Pride and a widespread ethos of freedom and celebration in the wake of the 1969 Stonewall uprising, the sexual revolution, and the counterculture of the ‘60s and ‘70s at large. Yet, there was tremendous loss due to AIDS, exacerbated by a return to reactionary values — and by extension, widespread homophobia — during the Reagan and Bush administrations of the ‘80s and early ‘90s.

The celebrities Mitchell captured here prove just as complex and multifaceted as their historical context. Each subject had a distinct relationship with their identity that informed their public persona. Warhol superstars Candy Darling and Holly Woodlawn were trailblazers as transgender women whose statuses in the public consciousness were inextricable from — and directly informed by — their trans identities. In contrast, stars like Joel Grey and Michael Bennett took pains to hide their true selves from the public: Grey didn’t publicly come out until he was in his 80s, while Bennett went to great lengths to conceal his bisexuality.

As well as living either openly or in the closet during a period of such societal conflict and upheaval, many of these celebrities also struggled with disease, addiction, and mental illness. Tennessee Williams suffered from severe depression his entire life, before passing away from an accidental barbiturate overdose at the age of 71; Jackie Curtis similarly passed from a heroin overdose in 1985. Terrence McNally openly acknowledged his struggles with alcoholism and his battle with cancer, while Audre Lorde succumbed to cancer in 1992, at only 58 years old. Rudolf Nureyev died from AIDS-related complications in 1993 and kept his battle hidden from the public due to the stigma associated with the disease.

As an openly gay man himself, Mitchell could uniquely relate to his queer subjects. The resulting portraits are original impressions of these iconic figures, who are presented in a dignified and engaging manner.

GME exclusively represents the Jack Mitchell collection for exhibitions and sales to cultural institutions. For additional information, contact David Deitch, Fine Arts Curator, at david@gartenbergmedia.com.