Martin Schoeller: Drag Queens

Martin Schoeller: Drag Queens
Category: Photographer Monographs & Art Books
Publisher: Steidl
Publication Date: August 2026
Print Length: 176 pages
Language: English
Price: paid paid paid

.i>Martin Schoeller: Drag Queens presents close-up portraits of the most famous drag performers in America, from Brooke Lynn Hytes to Aquaria, using Schoeller’s signature tight framing to strip away spectacle and reveal the inner life of each subject. Over the last two decades, drag has moved from niche corners into the center of popular culture, aided by its photogenic appeal, but good portraits of drag queens must go beyond glitz and glamor to show the essence, diversity, and power of the artists themselves.

Schoeller, a German photographer born in 1968, approaches each portrait as a way to access the subject’s emotions, motivations, and imagination. In his images, drag emerges not as theatrical cross-dressing but as a living spectacle that tells a story and reveals a version of self that might otherwise remain unnoticed. The close-up framing forces the viewer to look past costume and makeup and meet the person behind the performance, making the portrait a form of dynamic visual encounter that conveys the possibilities of who we imagine ourselves to be.

The book captures performers who have risen to prominence through television, competition, and nightlife, turning their public personas into intimate portraits that balance reputation with vulnerability. Each image offers a moment of stillness where the subject can be seen as both artist and individual, and where the performance of drag becomes a medium for sharing stories—even if just for one night.

Martin Schoeller: Drag Queens treats portrait as a bridge between identity and spectacle, showing how the act of seeing can honor the depth behind the surface. The work underscores that drag is not only about appearance but about presence: the power to define oneself, to tell a story, and to invite the viewer into a world constructed through imagination, craft, and courage.

Selected Books by This Photographer

Martin Schoeller: 1995-2019

2020 - Steidl

Martin Schoeller


Close

2018 - Steidl

Martin Schoeller


Martin Schoeller: Portraits

2014 - teNeues

Martin Schoeller


Identical

2012 - teNeues

Martin Schoeller


Martin Schoeller

2009 - teNeues

Martin Schoeller


Female Bodybuilders

2008 - Pond Press

Martin Schoeller

 

Close-Up

2005 - teNeues

Martin Schoeller

 

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