In this talk, based on archival material held at the Bishopsgate Institute, Matt will discuss the central role that the organisational strategies and necessities of gay men in the mid-20th century played in the creation of the recognisably modern tattoo industry.
Extensive new primary source research across newly uncovered private collections has revealed that, far from being marginal figures, gay tattooers and clients form central nodes in the forging of modern tattooing in the Western world through the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
In navigating a world in which both tattooing and homosexuality were at least marginalised -- and in many places strictly illegal – gay men with interests in body art had to develop contact networks and documentation strategies which (as a side effect) allowed the wider tattooing industry to flourish.
Key to the discussion will be the life and times of Rudi Inhelder, an optical physicist from Switzerland who briefly became one of the most important organisational figures in the modern history of Western tattooing.
Additional Information
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- If sales have closed and you would still like to attend, to enquire about availability please contact our Box Office team via 020 73929200. If spaces remain we can arrange payment over the phone.
- If you have any accessibility needs or concerns please email us at enquiries@bishopsgate.org.uk.
Need to Know
Meet the Speaker
Dr Matt Lodder
Dr Matt Lodder is an art historian, curator, writer, podcaster and broadcaster. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Art History and Theory, and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Art History at the University of Essex. His research primarily concerns the application of art-historical methods to history of Western tattooing from the 17th century to the present day, with a principal focus on the professional era from the 1880s onwards.
His first monograph, Painted People: Humanity in 21 Tattoos, was published in 2022. His next book, Tattoos: The Untold History of a Modern Art, was released by Yale University Press in 2024. His latest major exhibition, British Tattoo Art Revealed, began at the National Maritime Museum Falmouth in March 2017 and toured the UK through to 2021. His podcast, Beneath the Skin, was recently voted best independent history podcast in the UK.
What We Do
