REX

AMERICAN, 1943–2024

REX. Ink and graphite on paper. 1990. Offered in AFTER DARK on 5 November 2025.

NOTE: The following article is NSFW and includes images of sex and artistic nudity.

Rex was an American illustrator whose black-and-white pen-and-ink drawings presented and codified the visual aesthetic of the gay S&M and leather subcultures during the 1970s and 1980s. Based in San Francisco, Rex’s artwork is defined by depictions of masculine archetypes such as policemen, prison guards, and bikers, often exploring the raw and unapologetic elements of gay male sexuality. Through his art, Rex documented the pre-AIDS cruising culture of dive bars, alleyways, bathhouses, and motels in New York and San Francisco.

Rex. Original ink and graphite on paper. Signed lower right. Offered in AFTER DARK on 11 December 2025.

Rex first came to prominence in 1978 with a one-man show at Fey-Way Studios in San Francisco, a gallery opened by Robert Opel to showcase the talent of the city’s gay art scene. Jack Fritscher, editor-in-chief of the leather-interest magazine Drummer, first met Rex at the exhibition. He worked alongside Drummer colleagues Bill Ward and Tom of Finland, both influential artists in the gay fetish community. He contributed to Stroke, Inches, Honcho, Macho, and countless other magazines. His work had a notable impact on photographers like Robert Mapplethorpe. As Fritscher has recalled, “Rex is to drawing what Mapplethorpe is to photography.” [1] Tellingly, Rex designed the hardcore interior decor of New York’s Mineshaft BDSM club just two years prior to Mapplethorpe’s appointment as its resident photographer.

Rex. Original Ink on paper, offered along with graphite on paper study. Offered in AFTER DARK on 6 November 2025.

His unique pointillist style became virtually synonymous with the visual culture of the gay community. He designed postcards, pulp novel covers, and publicity materials for leather stores, sex shops, and gay nightclubs including a notable campaign for the poppers brand BOLT. Most famously, his graphics were featured in the 1980 movie Cruising, starring Al Pacino, and on a T-shirt worn by Freddie Mercury.

"Mannespielen (a portfolio of drawings by Rex) Number One." June 15, 1975. Inscribed by Rex in pen. Thirty pages. Offered in AFTER DARK on 22 May 2025.

Rex self-published standalone portfolios of his prints continually throughout his career with provocative titles such as Mannspielen (Man Games). Famous for his camera-shyness, Rex rarely allowed his photograph to be taken. In the early years of the AIDS crisis beginning in the 1980s, Rex abruptly ceased producing new drawings. This shift likely stemmed from the stigma surrounding gay sexuality which, during this time, had become a signifier of death. Rex subsequently made the decision to relocate to Europe where, in Amsterdam, he passed away in 2024.

Notes

[1] Jack Fritscher, “Rex Inventing Rex”, “Rex Requiem: Corrupt Beyond Innocence”, in Inventing the Gay Gaze: Rex, Peter Berlin, Arthur Tress, and Crawford Barton. San Francisco: Palm Drive Publishing, 2025, p. 15, at JackFritscher.com.

Contributors

Barry Oliver
Cataloger, LGBTQ+ Art & Material Culture