He was known as just Rex, and his unapologetically hedonistic, leather-soaked, SM-vibing black-and-white ink illustrations were some of the most influential gay works since Tom of Finland.
For many years, the reclusive artist had been off the radar. Some assumed he was dead, but close pals knew he had relocated to Amsterdam, where he has apparently died at roughly 80. His passing was reported by his friend Ad Schuring.
His own Facebook page (or one in his honor) summarizes:
I haven't seen any photos of Rex himself, and he was not wild about signing his work, which is rare and coveted. Often censored, his work adorned many gay-bar posters, a famous Mine Shaft T-shirt worn by Freddie Mercury, on posters seen in Cruising and was sold as prints by the truckload in the '70s.
He illustrated Rough Trade pulps and was a frequent contributor to Drummer magazine, sometimes working on queer-targeted ads (poppers, anyone?).
Rex, whose business was Rexwerk, worked in NYC and San Francisco prior to fleeing to Europe to escape changing attitudes about erotic art in the U.S. in the face of AIDS and the conservative movement.
Though an important part of gay art — Mapplethorpe, Tom, Harry Bush, Steve Masters and Rex go hand in hand — Rex's work is somewhat less widely known, and has only very rarely been exhibited, though several books of his pieces exist.
Rex's last-ever portrait from HERE.
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