Wong Dowling Oil Stick on paper. Sold for $1,500.00.
Mark Morrisroe Photograph. Sold for $7,000.00.
Greer Lankton Plaster sculpture. Sold for $1,600.00.
EXPLORING THE VALUE OF QUEER ART
As a genre that has long been marginalized, censored, or dismissed, we believe works of queer ephemera and erotic art hold enormous value in preserving the unique stories and subcultures of LGBT history.
ARTISTS OF AFTER DARK
Our catalogs are home to some of the great forgotten figures in queer 20th century subcultures. Many gay artists aren’t remembered for their contributions, so we’ve compiled some of our research about them here.
PREVIOUS SALES
See our previous AFTER DARK catalogs and the standout lots that have been at auction.
AFTER DARK/SUMMER
OUR LATEST VIDEO INTERVIEW
We sat down with Physique Photography expert Barry Harrison of homobilia.com to discuss his opinions on the medium, its historical importance, and the lasting impacts of physical media as foundational objects in queer history.
AFTER DARK/SPRING
AFTER DARK II
AFTER DARK
DIVINE DRESSES
Our December catalog, AFTER DARK, was graced with an incredible consignment collection of famed drag queen Divine’s costume dress pieces and personal accessories. The items had been in storage, untouched since the 1989 Christie’s East sale of the performer’s estate.
Our collection amounted to 5 group lots, with a total of 13 dresses and jumpsuits, a large collection of t-shirts, and another of Divine’s iconic headscarves.
To do the pieces justice, Vallots partnered with local Providence drag queen Coleslaw, star of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Camp Wannakiki, photographer Jay Perez, and a fetching young dog named Toto for a photoshoot to pay homage to Divine’s legacy and the work of John Waters.
MALE NUDES+
HOMOEROTIC ART
MALE NUDES
ABOUT AFTER DARK
See our previous genre catalogs and some of the standout lots that have been at auction.
For decades, Michael Dym, head auctioneer at Vallots, has been a champion of queer art, with a particular focus on homoerotic works that explore the intersections of sexuality, identity, and desire. He often reflects on a pivotal moment, when he realised that the emerging market of queer art could see a forthcoming boom as a thriving collector base:
“It was the sale of a work by J.M.W. Flagg (illustrator of the famed Uncle Sam Wants You poster) featuring himself in drag in our 2004 auction that really helped highlight the potential of queer art.”
Vallots now holds auction sales exclusively focused on queer homoerotic art, ephemera, and historical cultural objects. In 2024 Vallots officially named these sales VALLOTS/AFTER DARK, in an ode to the queer nightlife events so many of the pieces in our catalogs are inspired by. We also started holding the auctions in the evening.