Gay Icons : A Photographical And Inspirational Look At The Figures Influencing Gay Culture

Produced in conjunction with the Gay Icons exhibition that took place at the National Portrait Gallery last year, Gay Icons is a book that brings together over seventy stunning pieces of photography selected by ten high profile figures with a cultural history of gay culture by Professor Richard Dyer.

Defining a gay icon as a public or historical figure that has made an impact and left an impression on the LGBT community, the featured icons have all in some way had a direct positive influence on the selectors’ own gay sensibilities and include people from a whole range of different areas of life including artists Francis Bacon and David Hockney; civil rights campaigner Harvey Milk; writers Daphne du Maurier, Patricia Highsmith and Walt Whitman; composer Tchaikovsky; musicians Elton John, k.d. lang and Village People; entertainers Ellen DeGeneres and Lily Savage; and much-loved icons Nelson Mandela and Diana, Princess of Wales.

Selecting six images each, the choice by the selectors wasn’t however confined to merely the impact that these icons have had on them but also to selecting those who raised issues about gender identity, history and iconography. In addition to these sixty images there are also ten commissioned portraits by Mary McCartney of the selectors which included Sir Elton John, Sir Ian McKellen, Billie Jean King, Alan Hollinghurst and Sarah Waters.

Full of  stunning photography this book is however much more than just another coffee table art book, which thanks to the writing of Professor Richard Dyer is equally impressive concerning it’s insight into the history and culture of gay life.

Gay Icons can be ordered online from Amazon.