The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art is the first and currently the only museum in the world dedicated to artwork associated with the various elements of the LGBTQ experience.
Founded in 1969 by The Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation as a commercial art gallery. During the AIDS pandemic of the 1980s, the collection grew as the founders, Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman Leslie, salvaged works made by dying artists that were meant to be destroyed by their families.
In 1987 the foundation application to be recognized as a nonprofit organization was declined because the word “Gay” was in the title. It took a few years before it was granted the nonprofit status.
This visual art museum collects and displays artworks related to LGBTQ people and issues, or created by LGBTQ artists, such as David Hockney, Catherine Opie, and Jean Cocteau.
The museum houses a collection of more than 30,000 art objects, including drawings, paintings, sculptures, prints, and photography. In addition to the permanent and rotating exhibits, the museum hosts special events like lectures, performances, and pool parties.
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