Gay Secrets of the MFA 2016 – March 9

Professor Lear is offering another date for his extremely popular tour, “The Gay Secrets of the MFA,” on March 9, 2016. This tour has sold out more than 6 times, so sign up soon!


In art circles, it is well known that Boston's MFA has the world's greatest collection of same-sex Classical art, a collection started by the great early 20th century gay collector Edward Perry Warren, also the owner of the British Museum's Warren cup.  It is less well known that the MFA's collections are extraordinarily rich in LGBT art of other cultures as well.  On this tour, we will explore the Classical collection and also see LGBT art ranging from a Renaissance cruising scene to Lesbian scenes from 17th century China and an intersex figure that (we bet) you've never noticed in a famous Impressionist canvas.

Professor Andrew Lear is the foremost expert on same-sex love in ancient Greek art.  In the last few years, he has started Oscar Wilde Tours (http://oscarwildetours.com) a company dedicated to showing travelers the gay past.  He spoke to the HGSC in November 2014 on LGBT history at the British National Portrait Gallery, and he led a "Gay Secrets of the Metropolitan" tour for the All Ivy GLA in February 2015.


Prof. Lear’s “Shady Ladies” Valentine’s Day tour of the New York Met was recently reviewed in the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/shady-ladies-met-tour_us_56ccd5d7e4b041136f18a9e6?aao47vi). You can also watch a short clip on his “Sexy Secrets” tour of the Met here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nisECC7A9Us).


Prof. Lear offered this special tour of the MFA to the HGSC last May and due to popular demand is offering it again this year. Many dates have sold out, so please reserve your spot soon. We hope you can make it!

When:  Wednesday, March 9, 2016, at 6 pm.  
Where:  Meet inside in the Carol Vance Wall rotunda (entry is free on Wednesday evenings).  
Price:  $20.  You can reserve/prepay by clicking here (https://www.zerve.com/amp/view_activity.php?activity_id=9706&event_id=4495194). The event is password-protected; the password is HGSC.