Sensual / Sexual / Social

The Photography of George Platt Lynes

Sensual / Sexual / Social

Explore the artistic legacy of renowned, American photographer George Platt Lynes through this exhibition of photographs from the collection of the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. Lynes’ visionary work catapulted him to notoriety as a New York-based commercial fashion and ballet photographer, but resulted in his drift from the spotlight when it was revealed that he photographed male nudes as well. Lynes also turned his lens on his social circle—the artistic and literary minds of the mid-20th century—who accepted him as a gay man during a period of harsh anti-LGBT laws in America. Learn about Lynes’ groundbreaking work with lighting and darkroom manipulation and his personal passion, the male nude, considered taboo and illegal in the 1930s and ‘40s.

Organized by the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields and the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University.

September 30–February 24, 2019
Indianapolis Museum of Art Galleries at Newfields
Included with admission

Image Credit: George Platt Lynes (American, 1907–1955), Name Withheld (detail), 1930, gelatin silver print, 6-1/4 × 4-1/2 in. From the Collections of the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. © Estate of George Platt Lynes.