Queering Modernism: A New Visual History

Queering Modernism: Visual Languages of the 20th Century will debut at Frieze Masters 2026. Conceived by Anke Kempkes, who curated ‘Queer Modernism 1900–1950’ at K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, in 2025–26, the section brings together key works spanning decades and global geographies. This alternative reading of modernity foregrounds the formative influence of gender and sexuality on artistic styles, movements and iconographies. From early modern experiments to the emergence of a postmodern queer art scene in the 1980s, Queering Modernism traces an artistic lineage shaped by desire and embodied experience, as well as the politics of self-representation. Rather than occupying a single area of the fair, the presentations are articulated across Frieze Masters, offering opportunities for unexpected encounters.