Ranker ArtList RulesVote up the LGBTQ+ painters you think produced the best bodies of work throughout their careers.
As long as people have been making art, LGBTQ+ artists have been painting from their perspective. From gay painters like Leonardo da Vinci and Andy Warhol to bisexuals like Frida Kahlo and trans artists like Lili Elbe and Jeffrey Catherine Jones, the rainbow of great LGBTQ+ painters stretches around the world.
All of these artists have created amazing bodies of work and changed art history books for the better, but it's more difficult to determine who has truly left their mark. Even if some of the names are new to you, their paintings are familiar, and it’s up to you to help determine which painters have made, or are making, history with their art.
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8612Leonardo da Vinci
Republic of FlorenceAge: Dec. at 67 (1452-1519)
Birthplace: Vinci, Italy
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian polymath, painter, sculptor, architect,... more on Wikipedia2
8117Michelangelo
Italy, Republic of FlorenceAge: Dec. at 89 (1475-1564)
Birthplace: Caprese Michelangelo, Italy
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian... more on Wikipedia3
8526Frida Kahlo
MexicoAge: Dec. at 47 (1907-1954)
Birthplace: Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico
Frida Kahlo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈfɾiða ˈkalo]; born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y... more on Wikipedia4
7323Keith Haring
United States of AmericaAge: Dec. at 32 (1958-1990)
Birthplace: Reading, Pennsylvania
Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art and... more on Wikipedia5
4714Jean-Michel Basquiat
United States of AmericaAge: Dec. at 28 (1960-1988)
Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat (French: [ʒɑ̃ miʃɛl baskija]; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an... more on Wikipedia6
5929Andy Warhol
United States of AmericaAge: Dec. at 59 (1928-1987)
Birthplace: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Area code 412, Contiguous United States, United States of America
Andy Warhol was an American artist who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known... more on Wikipedia7
3810Francis Bacon
United Kingdom, EnglandAge: Dec. at 83 (1909-1992)
Birthplace: Republic of Ireland, Dublin
Francis Bacon (28 October 1909 – 28 April 1992) was an Irish-born British figurative painter... more on Wikipedia8
3513Tamara de Lempicka
United States of AmericaAge: Dec. at 82 (1898-1980)
Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
Tamara Łempicka (born Tamara Rozalia Gurwik-Górska; 16 May 1898 – 18 March 1980; colloquial:... more on Wikipedia9
254Robert Rauschenberg
United States of AmericaAge: Dec. at 83 (1925-2008)
Birthplace: Port Arthur, Texas, United States of America
Milton Ernest "Robert" Rauschenberg (October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) was an American painter... more on Wikipedia10
Gerda Marie Fredrikke Wegener (née Gottlieb; 15 March 1886 – 28 July 1940) was a Danish... more on Wikipedia203Gerda Wegener
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239David Hockney
United Kingdom, EnglandAge: 83
Birthplace: Bradford, United Kingdom
David Hockney, (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage... more on Wikipedia12
229John Singer Sargent
United States of AmericaAge: Dec. at 69 (1856-1925)
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist,... more on Wikipedia13
198Jasper Johns
United States of AmericaAge: 90
Birthplace: Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
Jasper Johns (born May 15, 1930) is an American painter, sculptor and printmaker whose work is... more on Wikipedia14
166Paul Cadmus
United States of AmericaAge: Dec. at 95 (1904-1999)
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York City, New York
Paul Cadmus (December 17, 1904 – December 12, 1999) was an American artist widely known for... more on Wikipedia15
1813Cy Twombly
United States of AmericaAge: Dec. at 83 (1928-2011)
Birthplace: Virginia
Edwin Parker "Cy" Twombly Jr. (; April 25, 1928 – July 5, 2011) was an American painter,... more on Wikipedia16
126Kehinde Wiley
United States of AmericaAge: 43
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Kehinde Wiley (born February 28, 1977) is an American portrait painter based in New York City,... more on Wikipedia17
137Henry Scott Tuke
United KingdomAge: Dec. at 71 (1858-1929)
Birthplace: York, United Kingdom
Henry Scott Tuke (12 June 1858 – 13 March 1929), was an English visual artist; primarily a... more on Wikipedia18
138Mandy McCartin
EnglandAge: 62
Birthplace: Sheffield, United Kingdom
Mandy McCartin (born 10 April 1958) is an English artist based in London, a "proud butch... more on Wikipedia19
Ethel Sands was an American-born artist and hostess who lived in England from her early... more on Wikipedia139Ethel Sands
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82Charles Demuth
United States of AmericaAge: Dec. at 52 (1883-1935)
Birthplace: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Charles Henry Buckius Demuth (November 8, 1883 – October 23, 1935) was an American... more on Wikipedia21
Sonja Sekula (8 April 1918 – 25 April 1963) (also known as Sonia Sekula) was a Swiss-born... more on Wikipedia1210Sonia Sekula
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96Romaine Brooks
United States of AmericaAge: Dec. at 96 (1874-1970)
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Romaine Brooks (born Beatrice Romaine Goddard; May 1, 1874 – December 7, 1970), was an... more on Wikipedia23
96Joan Snyder
United States of AmericaAge: 80
Birthplace: Highland Park, New Jersey, United States of America
Joan Snyder, (born April 16, 1940), is an American painter from New York. She is a MacArthur... more on Wikipedia24
109Gluck
EnglandAge: Dec. at 83 (1895-1978)
Hannah Gluckstein, known as Gluck (13 August 1895 – 10 January 1978) was a lesbian and... more on Wikipedia25
76Gwen John
United KingdomAge: Dec. at 63 (1876-1939)
Birthplace: Haverfordwest, United Kingdom
Gwendolen Mary John (22 June 1876 – 18 September 1939) was a Welsh artist who worked in France... more on Wikipedia
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