Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Leon Mostovoy photographs
- Dates:
- 1981-2016
- Creators:
- Mostovoy, Leon
- Abstract:
- Photographic prints, negatives, contact sheets, and documentation, 1981-2016, from transgender artist and photographer Leon Mostovoy. Mostovoy's career in queer art and photography began in the 1980s in San Francisco, where he produced lesbian erotic photography for On Our Backs magazine. This collection includes material from some of Mostovoy's photography series, including Market Street Cinema, Lifeforce, Naked Women in Public Places, Women Ex-cons, ACT UP, and erotica. The collection also includes samples of his photographs published in books and magazines.
- Extent:
- 6 Linear Feet 10 boxes.
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Box/folder #, or item name] Leon Mostovoy Photographs, Coll2017-004, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection comprises photographic prints, negatives, contact sheets, publications, clippings, artist's statements, and other material, 1981-2016, documenting the work of transgender artist and photographer Leon Mostovoy. The bulk of the collection is material related to four of Mostovoy's photography series: Market Street Cinema, LifeForce, Naked Women in Public Places, and Women Ex-cons. The collection also includes several photographs documenting lesbian erotica, ACT UP and AIDS-related demonstrations, artist Diviana Ingravallo, the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, San Francisco street scenes, and other subjects.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Leon Mostovoy is a transgender artist and photographer from California. His career in queer art began in the 1980s in San Francisco, where he produced lesbian erotic photography for On Our Backs magazine. His photographs have since been published in a variety of magazines and books, including Quim magazine, and Nothing but the Girl: The Blatant Lesbian Image. His work has also been featured in numerous solo exhibitions dating back to 1986, as well as group shows throughout the United States and internationally.
From his website: "Mostovoy's early photographic series explored the struggles and triumphs of women as they strived for strength and independence while living outside the parameters of heteronormative expectations. The purpose of his work is to give a voice to the unheard. This is most evident in his documentation of sex workers, queer erotica, women ex-cons, transgender men, and the AIDS pandemic."
His later works, including Death of My Daughter and Transfigure, explore themes of gender, gender roles, sex, sexuality, performance and presentation.
As of 2018, Leon Mostovoy lives in Southern California.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Leon Mostovoy, October 10, 2014.
- Processing information:
-
Collection processed by Loni Shibuyama, 2018.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is arranged in two series: (Series 1) Photographs and (Series 2) Artist's Documentation, Publications, and Other Materials. Each series is arranged alphabetically.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-06-04 15:34:28 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
- Terms of access:
-
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Box/folder #, or item name] Leon Mostovoy Photographs, Coll2017-004, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
- Location of this collection:
-
909 West Adams BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90007, US
- Contact:
- (213) 821-2771