Openly gay celebrities such as Tom Daley, Will Young, and Alexander McQueen are featured in a new exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery highlighting advances in gay rights over the last 50 years.
The exhibition opened at the London gallery on Friday and is the first in a year-long program of displays and events at the gallery exploring sexuality, gender, art, and identity.
The photo of Olympic diver Tom Daley (Above) was taken by Bettina von Zwehl in 2010.
The exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales.
It uses portraits of prominent gay figures to illustrate how attitudes have changed.
Singer Will Young was photographed by Alan Olley in 2003, a year after winning Pop Idol.
The exhibition also features quotes from the sitters about their experiences of coming out.
This 2004 Derry Moore portrait of actor Ben Whishaw is accompanied by his words: “It takes courage and people have to do it in their own time. It’s hard to have a conversation with people you’ve known your whole life about a very intimate thing…”
Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow were photographed by David LaChapelle in 1996.
Blow was a magazine editor credited with discovering McQueen as a young fashion designer. Blow died in 2007, McQueen in 2010.
Last Updated on Nov 28, 2016
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