Jimmy Wright's Fierman Exhibition Explores New York's Pre-AIDS Queer Scene

Jimmy Wright's exhibition at Fierman presents paintings that document New York City's pre-AIDS leather bar, sex club, and bathhouse culture. The artist moved to New York in 1974 after studying at the Art Institute of Chicago, where his earlier work reflected his Christian upbringing in Kentucky. Wright's unapologetic depictions of this bacchanalian world draw comparisons to Toulouse-Lautrec, George Grosz, and British watercolorist Edward Burra. His highly wrought celebrations of a lost era combine brooding intensity with what the gallery describes as "gay abandon." The show features floral paintings that suggest hidden narratives beneath their beautiful surfaces. Fierman's press release notes that Wright's work captures both the preciousness and recklessness of this historical moment. The exhibition appears in artcritical's weekly guide to galleries in New York City and beyond. David Cohen authored the exhibition commentary.