Charles Leslie, de 85 años, ha sido un icono de la escena artística queer del Soho que se desarrolla en medio siglo. Nació en Deadwood, Dakota del Sur, pero se fue en su adolescencia a Los Ángeles y, más tarde, a Venecia, Ámsterdam y París después de la guerra. Sus viajes lo llevaron por todo el mundo coleccionando arte y amantes hasta principios de la década de 1960, cuando se encontró en la ciudad de Nueva York y conoció a su antiguo socio, Fritz Lohman.
En 1969, los dos estaban en el Soho. La zona era conocida por sus lofts abandonados y artistas atrevidos que hacían obras queer que nadie mostraría. Así que Leslie tenía una idea: se pondrían en su propia exposición de arte, con artistas que hacían obras homoeróticas. Pensaron que obtendrían 60 o 70 asistentes para la inauguración, pero se atascó con más de 300 personas. Leslie y Lohman llevaron a cabo este espectáculo de arte subterráneo durante dos años antes de abrir una galería adecuada; más tarde, la convirtieron en una fundación de arte sin ánimo de lucro y, finalmente, en un museo de buena fe, con más de 20 000 piezas. En la actualidad, el Museo de Arte Gay y Lesbiana Leslie-Lohmanse encuentra entre las colecciones de arte LGBTQ+ más famosas del mundo.
Lohman falleció en 2009, pero Leslie ha seguido ampliando la colección y promoviendo su legado. Actualmente está trabajando en la preparación para Art After Stonewall, una importante retrospectiva dedicada al 50 aniversario de Stonewall; se extiende del 24 de abril al 21 de julio. Nos sentamos con él para hablar sobre el arte queer, Stonewall, y su idea de un día perfecto en Nueva York.
Charles Leslie. Photo: Thomas Stoelker
How have LGBTQ+ people changed the art landscape?
Charles Leslie:
They’ve always been a significant part of the whole world of art. In the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, straight artists would talk pejoratively about the “Queer Art Mafia.” But there were a lot of queer artists who made an impact. There were always gay people who were part of the scene.
What role did Soho play in this queer art scene?
CL:
It couldn’t have happened anywhere else. Soho was the last undeveloped frontier of the arts…one of the last areas with amazing space—unused and underused. The old Jewish and Italian owners were desperate to get their places rented or sold. We had to keep our art a secret at first.
Right now, the Guggenheim is celebrating Mapplethorpe and The Met has an upcoming exhibit on camp. Do you see a greater acceptance of LGBTQ+ art than before?
CL:
A lot of major artists have broken through. People like Keith Haring have become major international figures.
Who are some of the most important gay artists at the moment?
CL:
I love Delmas Howe. He is possibly my favorite male artist right now.
Why is it important for LGBTQ+ people to see themselves in art?
CL:
It’s an affirmation. Before we only saw men and women together. Until this queer revolution, the only breakthrough came from neoclassical and Renaissance art when painters took advantage of allegorical stories. It was a way to break the rules. When you look at Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, it’s very clear to me that these men were gay.
Tell us what Stonewall means to you.
CL:
Long before Stonewall, there was this surging underground impetus toward some kind of change. It was a horrible time before Stonewall. Legally, you couldn’t serve a gay person a drink in a tavern. And then, it happened—people got sick of it. And people got sick of the Mafia running the gay bars. Every time we bought a drink, we put money in the Mafia’s pocket. It was the cumulative effect of people saying “Enough!”
Were you in the City when Stonewall happened?
CL:
The night the riots started, Fritz and I were at home in Soho. We got a call from someone at 2am who said to come down to Sheridan Square. By the time we got there, there were mobs of people. But it didn’t happen in just one night—it lasted three nights. Finally, the city council woke up and said enough is enough.
Can you give us Charles Leslie’s perfect NYC day?
CL:
I’m 85 years old now, so my perfect day has changed. My perfect day now is not accepting any appointments before noon. Then I love to go to a little restaurant called
for lunch. I admire them because they hang a gay flag. And the food is marvelous.