Drag is everywhere. Think of the popular RuPaul’s Drag Race TV show end Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst. But it’s nothing new. Drag was part of Greek tragedy, when stereotypical gender roles were lampooned on stage.

Drag is a popular theme in the visual artists. Around 1900, artists often depicted Hartjes day, which started as a Haarlem festival in which men dressed as women and women as men. Some artists were crossdressers themselves or wore drag like Ferdinand Erfmann or portrayed people who used these forms to express themselves like Kees van Dongen. The exhibition includes contemporary art by Sin Wai Kin, Sarah Lucas, Gillian Wearing, Yamuna Forzani, Charles Atlas, Julius Thissen, Erwin Olaf, Ton van Rijn and Roza Ahmad who transcend traditional categories and stereotypes of masculinity and femininity.

Come and see how artists have expressed their love of drag in ways that still raise a few eyebrows. The Art of Drag is a celebration of being yourself, freedom and exuberance!