Queer artists Through the Years
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1861-1951: Saar de Swart
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1881-1924: Jacob Israël de Haan
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1894-1944: Willem Arondeus
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1904-1995: Frieda Belinfante
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1988: Sam Hil Atalanta (they/them), TVG
Saar de Swart (1861-1961): ‘Muse of The Tachtigers’
Sara - Saar - de Swart was an openly lesbian sculptor. In 1887 she came to Amsterdam to take sculpture lessons at the National Standard School for Applied Arts Quellinus. However, she stopped doing that in 1888 to take lessons with sculptor Lambertus Zijl. In 1894 she moved in at the Willem Witsenhuis and joined the nightlife of the now well-known writing group De Tachtigers. Since she supported and inspired their work financially and some men developed a crush for her, she was also called ‘De Muze van De Tachtigers ’.
Jacob ‘Israël’ de Haan (1881-1924): The Netherlands’ first gay novelJ
acob ‘Israel’ De Haan was a writer and gay activist. In 1900 he came to live in Amsterdam, where he started as a teacher and editor in “Het Volk” magazine. In 1904 he wrote his first novel called “Pijpelijntjes”, the first novel about a gay relationship in the Netherlands.
The story was based on his own life, for example he used Arnold Aletrino (doctor, criminologist and writer who was one of the first scientists to advocate uranism, as homosexuality was called at the time) for inspiration for the character Sam.
Willem Arondéus (1894-1943): “Homosexuals are not cowards”
A courageous author, artist, resistance fighter. He acknowledged his queerness when he was a teenager. He went to Quellinus School of Applied Arts. He joined the resistance, where he put his talent into forging documents for Dutch Jews. 27 March 1943, he and other members of the resistance attacked the Registration Office. The attack was successful, destroying 800.000 identity cards. However, he was arrested in April 1943. He did not give up any information. He was executed on July 1st 1943. His last words were “Homosexuals are not cowards”
Frieda Belinfante (1904-1995): A cellist in the resistance
Frieda Belinfante was an openly lesbian cellist. In 1921 she fell in love with composer/pianist Henriëtte Bosmans. When Germany occupied the Netherlands in 1940, Belinfante joined the resistance. Together with other resistance fighters, she made the plan to attack the population register in Amsterdam on March 27, 1943. However, she was not present herself, because fellow resistance fighter Willem Sandberg did not think it was a women's business. Either way, she had to go into hiding and she did that in a new male identity.
Sam Hil Atalanta (1988): The Vulva Gallery
Sam Hil Atalanta (they/them) is an illustrator and oil painter, based in Amsterdam. Their paintings revolve around intimacy and connection. All their work is shaped by their perspective as a queer and non-binary artist. In 2016, Atalanta started a project called The Vulva Gallery. The Vulva Gallery is an online gallery and educational platform celebrating vulva diversity, aiming to improve sexual health education and opening up conversation about topics that are still being stigmatised. They have since then worked together with brands and of course our own Queer Market.
Bronnen:
Saar de Swart:
https://mahlerfoundation.org/mahler/contemporaries/saar-de-swart/Jacob Israël De Haan:
https://www.sissymag.de/jacob-israel-de-haan-pathologien/Willem Arondéus:
https://onsamsterdam.nl/artikelen/willem-arond-us-zulk-een-dood-overtreft-het-levenFrieda Belinfante:
https://www.amsterdam.nl/stadsarchief/stukken/beroemd/frieda-belinfante/Sam Hil Atalanta:
https://samhilatalanta.com/