Desire, eroticism, playing with gender – these qualities in the works of queer artists are not regarded here as external to the creative process, but rather as foundational. By approaching the art through a perspective of queer aesthetics, the aim is to discover the visual worlds of hitherto little-known figures of international Modernism, from Eastern and Western Europe and from North and South America. Experimenting with alternative lifestyles is reflected in new visual languages, perspectives, and a different aesthetic. “Modern utopias of abolishing the gender binary,” “Queer avant-gardes” and “The potential in queer readings of abstraction” are only some of the compelling topics presented in this volume, which also recounts the history of queer lives during war, persecution, and resistance. Artists: Natalie Clifford Barney, Richmond Barthé, Rosa Bonheur, Romaine Brooks, Til Brugman, Paul Cadmus, Claude Cahun, Heinrich Campendonk, Jean Cocteau, Ithell Colquhoun, Nils Dardel,