Heritage society honours lesbian painter as icon
HISTORIC ENGLAND is to honour a Jewish painter as a 20th-century LGBTQ icon.
Gluck, who was born Hannah Gluckstein, is among 15 influential figures to be recognised by the heritage organisation in an initiative timed to mark 50 years since homosexuality was decriminalised.
Born in 1895, she was the only daughter of Joseph Gluckstein, one of the founders of the British restaurant chain J Lyons and Co.
In 1915, shortly after a painting trip to Cornwall, she cut her hair and began wearing men’s clothing — from then on insisting on being known only as Gluck.
When the Fine Art Society once referred to the artist as Miss Gluck, she was furious and threatened to resign as a member. After her exhibition at the society in 1926, she was angry that critical attention focused more on her looks than on her paintings.
Gluck’s self-portrait was recently used as the poster image for an exhibition at Tate Britain which marked the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act which partially decriminalised male homosexuality in England and Wales.
Welcoming the Historic England initiative, which will ensure Gluck’s Sussex home will be preserved, Heritage Minister John Glen said: “It is vital that we remember all the communities that have shaped our past.
“I am delighted that we are recognising the significant contribution made by these outstanding people and protecting the places where they lived and worked for future generations.”