Best Art of the Year: 2014

How lucky we are to have a job that allows us to view so much beautiful and interesting art. Click through for the original complete portfolio of the artist with links back to the artist's site.

The Art of Maurice Heerdink
A new book by artist Maurice Heerdink weds Dutch precision with the sensual influences of classic Italian painting.
Above: Portrait of M. (This work was done in one month during a heatwave.) Acrylic on canvas, 2006

Artist Spotlight: Igor Sychev
Moscow artist Igor Sychev's magic realism travels across time and space creating a sensual dream world.

In the Galleries: Peregrine Honig
Peregrine Honig's latest solo exhibition, "Unicorn," at Haw Contemporary challenges our sexual and digital identities.
Above: #lamby

Gallery of Geek: Patrick Fillion
Artist Patrick Fillion mixes his love of superheroes with the iconic artwork created by Tom of Finland to create comics that both titillate and entertain.
Above: Deimos, The Taro Demon

ART: Out on 9
This exhibition explores the intersections of identity and involvement within the queer community.
Above: Felix d'Eon, Begone Hate!, signed, limited edition, giclee print, 19" x 13"

In the Galleries: Gilbert & George Whippet Good
Partners in love and art since 1967, these fresh works in a current exhibit show the lasting strength of their artistic vision.
Above: Considering Boyhood, 2013

In the Galleries: The Decadence of Halloween
Antebellum Gallery, in the bloody heart of Hollywood, hosts its annual Halloween art show and party.
Above: Renfield, The Tarantula Arms, 2014

The Enduring Love and Exquisite Observations of Don Bachardy
On the occasion of the publication of his new monograph, Hollywood, we talk with Don Bachardy on the rigors of observing people and of the creation of self.
Above: Holly Woodlawn, October 7, 1991, from Hollywood

Artist Spotlight: C. Bedford
Bedford's sultry, languid men are dripping with sex and style, and drenched in libidinal color.

In the Galleries: The Erotic Tension of Charles James
R. Couri Hay's collection of drawings -- both fashion and erotic -- reveal the sexuality that drove James's genius.
Above: Male nude lying down, acrylic paint on pink paper mounted on brown paper, 1970s

Artist Spotlight: Dean Cornwell
This important American illustrator peopled his artwork and murals with heroic examples of fit, muscular men.

Artist Spotlight: Roberta Marrero
Roberta Marrero's artwork is like a pop art fever dream with some sex and Catholicism thrown in for good measure.
Above: La melancolia del siglo XX en 3D

#TBT: Posters of Male Nudes
Using naked men to sell your product is not a new idea. Seems there has always been room for a sexy hunk on a display poster.

Inside Clive Barker
Millions of fans have enjoyed Clive Barker's dark visions in his books and films. Now a sleek new book of his art shows the seeds of his inspirations.
Above: Tarrie Cat Army

Artist Spotlight: Kent Monkman
Monkman uses painting, sculpture, video, and awesome drag to settle a few scores. His work is hilarious and chilling all at once.
Cree Master 1, 10" x 12" -- 2002, acrylic on canvas (detail below)

The Golden Age of Denial: Orientalism
Considered by some a patronizing Western reimagining of the Middle East, many of these Orientalist depictions are frankly homoerotic.
Above: Constantin-Jean-Marie Prevost, The Tattooing of a Sailor

Gallery of Geek: Glen Hanson
From superheroes to sexy men to fashion to celebrities -- Glen Hanson's stellar art has everything.

In the Galleries: Ceramics and Perversity
Art imp Rick Castro highlights the rubber-encased ceramics of Richard Ankrom.

Artist Spotlight: Czanara
Raymond Carrance, working under the name Czanara, created an intriguing body of homoerotic artwork in the '50s and '60s.
Above: Three men in surrealistic collage (12" x 17"). Colored pencil on paper. (Source: Elysium Press)

ART: Gay Jesus and Woman Christ
Even non-Christians may have some work to do to open their minds to these alternate artistic visions of Christianity.
Above: Steve, from Adam and Steve, Gary Speziale

#TBT: The Erotic Art of Toby Bluth
Bluth signed all his work simply 'Toby' whether it was for Disney Studios or his more private portfolio.

Camp Fires: Subversive Queer Concepts in Clay
Staking a claim for queer identity through an exhibit of camp ceramics.
Above: Leopold L. Foulem, Urinoir, 1992

Gallery of Geek: Joe Phillips
These sexy superhero pinups from comic book artist Joe Phillips bring the geek and the heat.

Art: Men Addicted
Eric Lanuit of Character magazine presents his all black-and-white, art-driven magazine jam-packed with beautiful images of men.

Artist Spotlight: James Huctwith
Moody, masculine, and mysterious, Huctwith's canvases create testosterone-laced tableaux with virtuoso authority.
Above: Father's Milk, oil on canvas, 2003

Artist Spotlight: Norbert Bisky
Bisky's imperiled men, at war, in combat, and in near-death experiences, float in a gorgeous abstraction of color.
Above: Creaming, April 10, 2014, watercolor, pencil on paper, 23 x 31 cm

Artist Spotlight: Taner Ceylan
Ceylan's technical proficiency is so dazzling that you might miss the outspoken content of his work.
Above: 1640, 2010, oil on canvas, 215 x 140 cm

Artist Spotlight: Claudio Bravo
Bravo is remembered for his beautifully rendered paintings of young men and sports stars.

Artist Spotlight: Deborah Wheeler
Wheeler's wicked sense of humor makes an organized visual mayhem.
Above: My Ex-Girlfriend's Ex-Boyfriend, 2012, Everlast punching bag, bean bag

Artist Spotlight: Pedro Centeno Vallenilla
Influenced by native Venezuelan lore, Renaissance masters, and Italian Fascists, Vallenilla's artwork glorifies the male body.
Above: Espolio de San Sebastian

Diego Tolomelli and the Stain of Original Sin
Tolomelli's luscious stained-glass works stir the passions of the spirit as well as those of the flesh.
Above: Sacred Heart

Artist Spotlight: Otho Cushing
Contemporary with J.C. Leyendecker, and Charles Dana Gibson, and heir to the licentious line art of Aubrey Beardsley, Cushing was a mainstream illustrator with a decidedly gay pen stroke.
Above: Corks & Curls, University of Virginia Yearbook, 1899. "Haec olim meminisse juvabit", Virgil, Aeneid, I. 203 (One day, this will be pleasing to remember). Note the small book of verse by Sapho near the model's buttocks.

ART: Man and Beast
Male figurative art comes alive when freed from the studio and galloping down the beach.
Above: Anatoly Treskin, Bathing the Horses

Artist Spotlight: Sergey Sovkov
Artist and educator Sergey Sovkov creates a Russian spring with his joyful art of young men at play by the water.

Artist Spotlight: George Towne
Towne's warm gaze infuses his paintings with life, and even love.
Above: Rich and Seth

Artist Spotlight: Hernan Marina
Marina's work boils down masculine cultural ideas to a few bold strokes in a variety of mediums.
Above: No. 2: Geman Series, He went over the world looking for a master, until his foot reached his guts. Printing on aluminium, 2013.

Artist Spotlight: Taylor Smith
Like found objects or the marks and stains of human existence, Smith's work has a seemingly accidental beauty.
Above: American Hustle, 30" x 22"; charcoal and wood stain on paper

Dignity Restored to a Defamed Artist
Simeon Solomon's brilliant career was over after his first arrest for homosexual acts. His reputation is now being rehabilitated along with his grave site.
Above: Frontispiece of A Vision of Love Revealed in Sleep

Artist Spotlight: Hector de Gregorio
De Gregorio's mythological portraits disturb and seduce at the same time.

Legendary Lovers: Chiron and Achilles
February makes us think of love, and its many forms, so here we offer a valentine to the mentorship romance of Chiron and Achilles.
Above: Toussaint Dubreuil, The Education of Achilles, 16th century

Artist Spotlight: Peter Samuelson
It seems Samuelson never intended to be a professional artist. Nevertheless he made serene and charming paintings of the handsome lodgers in his mother's boardinghouse.
Gorilla's Breakfast, John-the-shoemaker, Torquay, 1952

One Gay Artist vs. India's 'Moral Police'
Balbir Krishan's celestial artwork still shines even after censorship in southern India.
This Is Not Dark Life, acrylic on canvas, 55" x 55"