How Do I Value and Auction Queer Art And LGBTQ+ Material Culture?
Choosing the Best Auction House for an LGBTQ+ Art and Queer Material Culture/Gay Memorabilia Collection
"Untitled (ACT UP Diptych)" 1990 Color screen-prints on wove paper.
18 3/8” x 23 1/2"; 23 1/8” x 27 1/2" (overall).
One signed and dated and the other numbered. Published by ACT UP/New York, New York. From an edition of 100.
Vallot Auctioneers Sold for $12,250
*Including buyer’s premium
When valuing and disposing of the contents of a home, estate representatives will often overlook queer art and LGBTQ+ material culture. Estate representatives often make the mistake of discounting or discarding erotically themed works or politically charged and transgressive publications, whether due to prudishness or a lack of knowledge. The result can be a loss of thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars.
“There have been several times in my career as a professional auctioneer where an estate representative is in disbelief that the queer zine collection in the discard pile is the most valuable artwork in the home,” notes Michael Dym, Vallot’s lead auctioneer, “and then even worse is when the estate representative sheepishly admits what they threw away before I arrived,” added Mr. Dym.
LGBTQ+ queer art and ephemera (material culture) is an emerging collecting category and one not yet widely understood. Nevertheless, Vallot Auctioneers continues to set auction records for queer artists and LGBTQ+ themed art and artifacts.
The queer art movement gained momentum in the 1970s - 1980s, particularly in cities like New York, where both the East and West Village became a focal point for this burgeoning artistic revolution. Some of the names associated with this period are quite famous like Keith Haring and Robert Mapplethorpe. Some queer artists were not working in major urban centers or are not widely known. Artists like John O'Reilly and Jim Tellin, a groundbreaking artistic duo and life partners, created art that reflected the essence of the queer art movement during this period and were living and principally working in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Other examples of significant artists whose work can generally be categorized as queer include the trans artist Greer Lankton (1958 - 1996); the performative photographer Claude Cahun (1894- 1955); and the Cuban - American artist Félix González-Torres (1957 - 1996). In many cases the work of these artists and other important LGBTQ+ artists can often be misunderstood by estate professionals because, simply put, their art may not look like “art.”
Exceptionally rare hand-constructed artist book.
Thirty-one original photographs collaged into the text of W.H. Auden's (British/American, 1907 - 1973) book of poems: "About The House," a group of poems about Auden's house in Kirchsletten, Austria.
This rare and unique artist book was a collaboration with the artist James Tellin (American, B 1930.) (Tellin and O'Reilly were life partners.) The Auden volume was disassembled, collaged and reassembled by the artists. Signed, dated and inscribed by both artists.
Vallot Auctioneers Sold for $1,000
The Hidden Value of Queer Material Culture, Gay Ephemera and Queer Memorabilia.
Unlike a conventional art collection where gallery invites, posters and other related ephemera is typically minor in relation to the value of the collection, with a queer art collection these items need to be identified, because they can be quite valuable.
GILBERT & GEORGE: "For Aids", Exhibition, 1989 (signed)
GILBERT & GEORGE: "Death Hope Life Fear", 1984
FELIX GONZALEZ TORRES: "I Always Wonder…”, 1988
Vallot Auctioneers Sold for $350
In many cases, Vallot Auctioneers has found gay themed ephemera in collections that exceeded the value of the work we were called in to examine. In some instances, gay material culture or ephemera can have significant value. This is the case for artists like "Tom of Finland," where unique club announcements, like for the NYC Mineshaft Club, can be quite rare and important, not only artistically but also historically. The posters and graphic designs of artists like Gran Fury or AA Bronson, and in particular artists and designers active during the 1980s in the height of the AIDS crisis can have a significant auction value. Such items are even sometimes overlooked by collectors of gay art who are considering selling their collections.
For this reason, if you are considering selling a gay-themed art collection, it’s important to have an auctioneer knowledgeable about LGBTQ+ art and history examine the collection and the related items, and not just the ‘paintings on the walls.’
Tom of Finland, two gallery cards (one foldout)
along with a Keith Haring, Martin Luther King Jr Day party invitation.
Vallot Auctioneers Sold for $300
How Vallots Achieves Record Results with LGBTQ+ art.
After identifying the significant pieces in a collection, whether material culture or art, the second step in the successful auction of an LGBTQ+ collection is pre-auction outreach to key institutions and key collectors in this emerging collecting category. In short, we do the extra work to make sure the right people are in the know about works that are coming onto the market. Unlike other known artists or more familiar art movements, with erotically themed queer and gay art, personal outreach to key potential bidders is crucial to achieving a competitive auction result.
Equally important is to be able to respond to these potential bidders’ inquiries intelligently with historical context and facts that are often not well documented. For example, if an off-set poster was used in a particular demonstration, or if a reproduction was part of an underground artist’s mailer or invite to a gay BDSM club, these are the kind of detailed facts that can justify a bidder upping their bids. In short, auctioning a 1980s circuit party poster is not the same as auctioning a Picasso.
"Know Your Scumbags" Off-set lithograph on heavy card stock. 1989. 22 x 21 inches. ‘
Very few examples of this infamous NYC subway poster are known to exist.
Vallot Auctioneers sold for $3025
Aids (a Project for the Public Art Fund) 1989.
Offset lithograph. Subway poster.
Vallot Auctioneers Sold for $1,200
Anonymous Gay Artworks
Oftentimes, people ask us about anonymous gay themed artworks and consignors are often surprised by the value of anonymous works. Similarly, many gay erotic artworks from the early 20th Century were unsigned because the artists feared persecution. If a gay themed work is not signed, or a male nude painting is unsigned, it should not be assumed that it doesn’t have significant value.
"Dress For The Occasion" Publisher: SF AIDS Foundation, San Francisco, 1988.
19 x 15 inches.
A historic LGBTQ+ poster and graphic design, the edition size of this scarce poster is unknown. The photographer and designer are also unknown but it was likely a collaborative work.
Vallot Auctioneers Sold for $600
Preserving the legacy
Selling a collection of queer art and LGBTQ+ ephemera is not just about financial gain; it is also about preserving the legacy of LGBTQ artists and their contributions to the art world. History teaches the same lesson, the destruction of art because it is branded asocial or amoral is often a tell-tale sign that those artists were onto something important and significant and will find an important place in art history.