Artist
Stephen Shames (American, born 1947)American, born 1947
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Gay Bashers
- from the series Homicide in Houston
Date1991
Place depictedHouston, Texas, United States
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 12 1/8 × 17 15/16 in. (30.8 × 45.6 cm)
Sheet: 15 15/16 × 19 7/8 in. (40.5 × 50.5 cm)
Sheet: 15 15/16 × 19 7/8 in. (40.5 × 50.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of Texas Monthly and the artist
Object number2000.397
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographyObject Type
Covering their faces with T-shirts in an attempt conceal
their identities, two murder suspects are led to jail; one looks directly at Stephen
Shames’s camera, which was as close to the scene as detectives would allow. On
July 4, 1991, these two young men, along with eight others, drove from the
Woodlands to Montrose (a gay-friendly Houston neighborhood), where they beat and
stabbed 27-year-old Paul Broussard to death. Outraged by this hate crime and a
lack of public response to it, gay-rights advocates marched in the streets for
days in an attempt to draw attention to Broussard’s murder.
ProvenanceThe artist and Texas Monthly; given to MFAH, 2000.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed in pencil, verso, center: 9078-36
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
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