As you may infer from the title the theme of the show — which constitutes an homage to the oldest art tradition in the Western World — is, of course, Greek Art.

Although homosexual love and eroticism was not only integral to, but indeed rife in ancient Greek mythology, visual arts, and civil society, — it was for centuries thereafter ruthlessly suppressed and hidden (the work of “pagans”) until the Italian Renaissance rediscovered our shared classical and humanist past.

But even then, the homosexual nexus had to be carefully finessed, somehow disguised by the artists of the day…Think of the innumerable images of Ganymede giving drink to an eagle.

In ancient times everyone understood that Zeus kidnapped the beautiful prince — not because he wanted him to pour wine for him on Mount Olympus, but because he fell in love with him and wanted to fuck him and keep him with him forever…

For all the paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures of a beautiful young man (usually nude to be sure) giving an injured eagle a bowl of milk, there are very few of a virile mature man, muscled and bearded, carnally embracing the younger man — which is the heart and soul of the story.

In the following pages you will find short sketches of some of the great homosexually themed myths (and some of real people and actual events) of the ancient world, as well as lesser known legends, and a necessarily limited selection of surviving epigrams, poems and fragments.

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LESBIAN INFLUENCES

Although ancient Greek mythology has a paucity of Lesbian references (it was, after all, an intensely phallocentric, male-dominated society) there are none-the-less three sources which all by themselves provide a wealth of visual possibility. Most importantly, the poems of Sappho, the great bard of Lesbos singing the glory of her girlfriends. The best source book for Sappho is SAPPHO: A GARLAND / The poems and Fragments of Sappho — translated by Jim Powell and published by The Noonday Press/Farrar, Straus and Giroux/New York City.

In mythology there is the goddess Artemis (Diana) the goddess of the hunt who was always surrounded by comely maidens in attendance. Kind to humans (men included) who sought her mercy and protection, she none-the-less did not want men to get too close. Indeed, if one even tried to sneak a peek he got torn to shreds. ARTEMIS was lecherously spied upon in the bath by the hunter ACTAEON even though he knew that no mortal could look upon a deity without the deity’s consent. When she learned of his affronting presence she had him torn to pieces by the hounds of heaven…Even though it was never enunciated clearly in the context of Greek mythology, there was certainly something “different” about Artemis.

And finally, there were the AMAZONS: a tribe of warrior women who eschewed the company of men. What do you think their home life was like?…It boggles the mind!

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