$3 Bill: Evidence of Queer Lives : another stunning new queer exhibit at GETTY, LA

Assemblage with Pur·suit (detail), 2019, Naima Green, © Naima Green; and Front Line of Freedom San Francisco: Queer as a Three Dollar Bill, ca. 1981, Ken Wood. Collection objects from Getty Research Institute. Text, design, photo © 2025 J. Paul Getty Trust

The second ‘must’ see’ queer exhibit at the Getty Museum in LA right now is $3 Bill: Evidence of Queer Lives. Presented by The Getty Research Institute, this dynamic and timely exhibition explores queer representation through art, ephemera, videos, and archival materials dating from 1900 to the present day. Highlighting the enduring contributions of LGBTQ+ artists, intellectuals, and activists, $3 Bill provides an intimate lens through which to view histories of love, desire, resistance, and community.

$3 Bill brings together rare books, artists’ books, prints, and archival materials from the GRI’s extensive holdings, along with loans and items from the recently acquired Merrill C. Berman collection.

The exhibition opens with an exploration of queer art and identity in the early to mid-20th century—a time when expressions of queerness were often more discreet, yet deeply nuanced and fluid. This section features compelling images of Harlem drag balls from the 1940s and 1950s, drawn from the Johnson Publishing Company records, alongside illustrated and artists’ books, prints, drawings and photographs by notable figures such as Claude Cahun, Jean Cocteau, Jean Genet, Elisar von Kupffer, Marie Laurencin, David Hockney, and Emile Cadoo.

The second half of the exhibition focuses on the past 50 years of queer history and creative expression, from the early 1970s to the present. This period includes rich representations of diverse queer communities and highlights pivotal cultural and political moments. A dedicated section focuses on the Women’s Building in Los Angeles, showcasing a clay model of the iconic feminist space created by Lauren Bon and Metabolic Studio in tribute to its legacy. Additional highlights include experimental two-person drawings by Judy Chicago and Cheryl Swannack (1974), public service announcements from the LA Women’s Video Center, and related ephemera.

A central focus of the exhibition is the impact of the HIV/AIDS crisis on queer communities. At the heart of this section is The AIDS Chronicles, an ambitious project developed by members of the Los Angeles-based Institute of Cultural Inquiry (ICI) from 1993 to 2019. The artists collected and preserved the front pages of the New York Times—and in some years, the Los Angeles Times—every day for 26 years. The pages are completely covered with deep red, blood-looking acrylic paint, with the exception of titles or stories dealing with HIV/AIDS, presenting a haunting meditation on visibility and memory. Surrounding this installation are materials related to HIV/AIDS activism and contemporary artistic responses, including posters created during the epidemic, silent footage by Norman Yonemoto documenting the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in Washington DC in 1988, and works byGroup Material,Gran Fury, Donald Moffett, Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane, John Boskovich and Marlon Riggs, among others.

The final section is devoted to works from the mid-1990s to the present, emphasizing an increasingly inclusive and expansive understanding of gender and identity. Featured artists include Leopoldo Bloom whose works reflect on their personal transitions; partners and collaborators Nick Vaughan & Jake Margolin, who examine the effects of gentrification on queer communities; and artists like the Yonemoto brothers and Brian Tripp, who reimagine personal and art historical narratives through a queer lens. This gallery also features powerful contributions by Catherine Opie, Naima Green, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Ron Athey, Vaginal Davis, Laura Aguilar, and Beldan Sezen.

”In conjunction with the exhibition, the Getty will host a full slate of programming, including lectures, performances, and workshops that further explore the themes and artists represented in $3 Bill and Queer Lens: A History of Photography.

$3 Bill: Evidence of Queer Lives

Jun 10–Sep 28, 2025

Getty Center  : Research Institute Galleries