To be is not to be

Anne-Sophie De Mey, 29 years, usually reading, drawing and/or writing. MA student humanities at the Open University. You can also find me on Instagram @dauwdrupje

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Portrait of author and photographer Hervé Guibert (1955-1991). I first got to know Guibert thanks to a remarkable documentary on his life and work that was aired on TV on World AIDS Day - and I was electrified. Guibert's ruthless honesty about his life as a HIV-positive man, about his friendships (most notably with philosopher Michel Foucault), and about his complex relationships is obvious in both his photographs and books. #herveguibert #hervéguibert #herveguibertphotographe #michelfoucault #alamiquinemapassauvelavie #hiv #aidsliterature #literature #queerauthor #author #portrait #frenchliterature #photographer https://www.instagram.com/p/Cizckw4N0Ux/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of actor and playwright Jean-Luc Lagarce (1957-1995). Lagarce wrote 25 plays during his short lifetime, but was best known as actor and director of other people's plays. After his death in 1995, due to the consequences of AIDS, his plays became really popular, especially in his home-country France. His subtle and very emotional play 'Juste la fin du monde' is especially famous thanks to the fantastic 2015 adaption by Xavier Dolan. #jeanluclagarce #lagarce #frenchliterature #playwright #theater #justelafindumonde #xavierdolan #portrait #queerauthor #literature https://www.instagram.com/p/CihYM5yts9o/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of photographer Horst P. Horst (1906-1999). Horst, born as Horst Paul Albert Bohrmann in Germany, became one of the greatest (fashion) photographers of the 20th century. Established photographer George Hoyningen-Huene introduced Horst to Cecil Beaton, after which Horst, too, started working for Vogue. Horst quickly got renowned as photographer of the rich and famous. In 1938, he started his relationship with diplomat Valentine Lawford, who regularly wrote about Horst's life and work. The two stayed together for the rest of their lives and even managed to adopt and raise a son. #horstphorst #horst #portrait #cecilbeaton #valentinelawford #georgehoyningenhuene #photography #fashionphotography #photographyhistory #queerartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CiXHWtoNbQ1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of photographer George Hoyningen-Huene (1900-1968). Hoyningen-Huene, who was of aristocratic descent and was a Baron himself, was one of the first real fashion photographers. He made some iconic pictures for the French Vogue and American Harper's Bazaar. In France, he met his future colleague Horst P. Horst, who quickly became Hoyningen-Huene's muse, model and lover. In later years, Hoyningen-Huene also worked as color advisor in some large Hollywood productions. #hoyningenhuene #georgehoyningenhuene #photography #fashionphotography #photographyhistory #horstphorst #queerartist #portrait https://www.instagram.com/p/CiMzmrON2Mn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of ballet dancer and choreographer Serge Lifar (1904-1986). Lifar was another ballet dancer who became famous thanks to Sergei Diaghilev's Les Ballets Russes. As a choreographer, Lifar distanced himself from Diaghilev's view by emphasizing ballet as a distinct form of art with more importance than the music, costumes and decors. No more 'Gesamtkunstwerke' for Lifar, and that's one of the ways in which he modernized ballet. After Diaghilev's death in 1929, Lifar plundered the apartment of his mentor and lover, which meant the start of Lifar's own notable collection of ballet-related items and letters. After WWII, Lifar was suspended from the French stages because of his collaboration with the occupying Germans. #sergelifar #lifar #lesballetsrusses #sergeidiaghilev #balletdancer #choreographer #queerdancer #portrait https://www.instagram.com/p/CiHryPSN67y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of art connoisseur and impresario Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1929). Without this famous founder of Les Ballets Russes, the European and American cultural worlds of the 20th century would have been totally different. Diaghilev had a great talent to discover young artists and to create an encouraging atmosphere of kindred spirits. Visual artists such as Bakst, Picasso, Tchelitchew and many others collaborated with composers as Stravinsky, Prokofiev, or Satie, all under Diaghilev's direction. Diaghilev's lead dancer and groundbreaking choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky was, during many years, Diaghilev's lover. They were a famous society couple - not the least because of their many public quarrels... #sergeidiaghilev #sergediaghilev #diaghilev #vaslavnijinsky #stravinsky #satie #picasso #bakst #lesballetsrusses #balletsrusses #prokofiev #balletimpresario #artconnoisseur #paveltchelitchew #portrait #queerartist #illustration https://www.instagram.com/p/CiE0nbwtA4E/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of ballet dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky (1889-1950). Nijinsky's unique dancing style and charm notably contributed to the rise to fame of dancing company Les Ballets Russes. Nijinsky, who was also the lover of Les Ballets Russes founder and impresario Sergei Diaghilev, was a genius choreographer and was responsible for some of the most groundbreaking ballets of the 20th century - including the shocking Le Sacre du Printemps in 1913. As Diaghilev grew more and more controlling and obsessive towards Nijinsky, the latter escaped from his attention by rushing into a not very successful marriage with a colleague ballerina. On hearing the news, Diaghilev immediately dismissed Nijinsky from Les Ballets Russes. Nijinsky's mental health grew quite instable in the following years, which finally led to a diagnosis with schizophrenia in 1919. #vaslavnijinsky #nijinsky #vaslav #dancer #ballet #lesballetsrusses #sergeidiaghilev #diaghilev #ballethistory #portrait #lesacreduprintemps #queerdancer #choreographer https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch4PnMzNdMm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of author Frans Kellendonk (1951-1990). Kellendonk has a brilliant, highly tactile writing style. His work, especially his best known novel Mystical Body (Mystiek lichaam, 1986), draws on many cultural and intertextual sources and is thus open to divergent interpretations. Kellendonk has been criticized for his cultural criticism and for his 'negative' view on homosexuality, by which I mean the idea (notably elaborated by queer theorist Lee Edelman) that homosexuality is a negation of the normative celebration of the future, embodied in the child (or the pregnant woman, in the case of Mystical Body). In Mystical Body, Kellendonk partly draws on his own experiences as HIV-positive, gay man, which makes this novel one of the earliest and most literary examples with this subject in Dutch literature. #franskellendonk #kellendonk #mystieklichaam #mysticalbody #aidsliterature #literature #author #queerauthor #portrait #illustration #dutchliterature https://www.instagram.com/p/ChkSd97NMc0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of author Gerard Reve (1923-2006). In the Netherlands, Reve is considered as one of the 'Great Three' of post-war literature. His most famous book is The Evenings (De Avonden, 1947), but Reve is also renowned for being sued because of some blasphemous passages in his book Closer to You (Nader tot U, 1966), in which the narrator imagines God to be a donkey he makes love to - which resulted in a process now known as the donkey process. Reve's books combine religious (especially catholic) elements with a strong and darkish (often sadistic) homo-eroticism. Both his subjects and writing style remind me somewhat of the work of Yukio Mishima. #gerardreve #gerardvanhetreve #grotedrie #dutchliterature #deavonden #nadertotu #ezelsproces #literature #author #portrait #queerauthor #theevenings https://www.instagram.com/p/Cheh8kDtxYE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of composer, conductor, and music educator Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990). Bernstein composed some of the most brilliant songs and melodies of the 20th century - life without 'I feel pretty', 'Maria', or 'Glitter and be gay' would be pretty dull, in my opinion - and did so with a lot of enthusiasm and style. Bernstein also was a terrific conductor and educator who introduced many older and younger children to classical music. He managed to bring the then rather unknown music of Gustav Mahler to the public and made some milestone recordings of his music. Bernstein had quite some affairs and longer relationships with (mostly younger) man, and his homosexuality was known to, and more or less accepted by, his wife and children. #leonardbernstein #bernstein #candide #westsidestory #composer #musician #classicalmusic #conductor #gustavmahler #queercomposer #queermusician https://www.instagram.com/p/ChO-Yg4Nwf2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of painter and illustrator Paul Cadmus (1904-1999). Cadmus's paintings in egg tempera are mostly in a magic realism I don't appreciate very much - though some paintings (especially his Conversation Piece of Monroe Wheeler, Glenway Wescott and George Platt Lynes, as well as his portrait of his lover Jared French) really are masterpieces. However, his drawings are amongst the best I know. The pressure to make a good portrait of Cadmus was, understandably, high - and I fear I'm not completely satisfied... Well, at least I tried. #paulcadmus #jaredfrench #glenwaywescott #monroewheeler #georgeplattlynes #portrait #queerartist #illustration #painter #illustrator https://www.instagram.com/p/CdGa9O8tfEW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of painter Jared French (1905-1988). This one is supposed to be something like a pendant to my former portrait of Paul Cadmus. French, who was for many years Cadmus's lover, painted in the same style as Cadmus and with the same preference for egg tempera. French, Cadmus and French's wife (yes, it's complex) together formed the photographic collective PaJaMa, whose gorgeous work I admire very much. (If someone wants to do me a favor, one of their pictures, or even a book on their work, would be very welcome indeed 🙂) #jaredfrench #portrait #queerartist #paulcadmus #margaretfrench #pajama https://www.instagram.com/p/CdQI-akN7cz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of art connoisseur Lincoln Kirstein (1907-1996). Kirstein is well-known as co-founder of the New York City Ballet, together with George Balanchine. He's also one of the so-called Monuments Men who, after WWII, tried to rescue countless European artworks that were hidden in Germany and Austria. Kirstein was a good friend of artists like George Platt Lynes, Glenway Wescott and Paul Cadmus (he even married the latter's sister) and had many long-term affairs with dancers and other artists. A complex personality, Kirstein suffered many mental breakdowns and was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder. #lincolnkirstein #newyorkcityballet #georgeplattlynes #glenwaywescott #paulcadmus #fidelmacadmuskirstein #queerartist #artconnoisseur #portrait #illustration https://www.instagram.com/p/CdV4x6YNxvt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of philosopher, author and activist Michel Foucault (1926-1984). I actually wanted to draw some other heroes first, but after attending a delightful conference on political philosophy, I decided to draw omnipresent Foucault right away. Foucault wrote extremely important theories on the structures of power, but, as a student in queer theory, I am especially interested in his work on the history of sexuality. #michelfoucault #foucault #philosophy #politicalphilosophy #philosopher #queertheory #queerthinker #portrait #author #activist https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd3YmsoNyGV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of artist Simeon Solomon (1840-1905) (here in Oriental costume) . Solomon, who came from an artistic family, was part of the British Pre-Rafaelites and made lots of gorgeous drawings and paintings that were collected by, among others, his contemporary Oscar Wilde. However, his rise to fame became impossible after being convicted twice for attempted sodomy. Solomon's work stopped being exhibited, and Solomon became an alcoholic - another life destroyed by a homophobic society... #simeonsolomon #prerafaelites #artist #painter #britishpainter #queerartist #portrait #oscarwilde https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd-mjJKtndo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of activist and politician Harvey Milk (1930-1978). While I'm a bit too late for Harvey Milk Day (May 22nd), any day is fine to celebrate Milk and his legacy. Milk's relentless quest for an open-minded society marked both his private and political life and, ultimately, led to his tragic death in 1978. I'd really love to take a walk with this wonderful and inspiring man (and I think I am not the only one...) #harveymilk #harveymilkday #politician #thecastro #gayrights #activist #queerpolitician #portrait https://www.instagram.com/p/CeEOUAetwXk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Portrait of painter, costume and set designer Pavel Tchelitchew (1898-1957). Tchelitchew's paintings mostly combine surrealist elements with a more realist and romantic style, thus creating a unique and often emotionally loaded world. Tchelitchew collaborated with Sergei Diaghilev and George Balanchine in diverse multimedia artistic projects. He had a lifelong relationship with author Charles Henri Ford, who will be my next model. #paveltchelitchew #surrealism #neoromanticism #sergeidiaghilev #georgebalanchine #painter #queerartist #charleshenriford #portrait https://www.instagram.com/p/CeQeVaWtsRH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=