A pink triangle on a black background with the bold lettering beneath it: {Silence=Death}. This iconic image of AIDS activism is associated with ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), the formidable political group that advocated for people living with AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s. In {It Was Vulgar & It Was Beautiful}, Jack Lowery tells the story behind the activist artists responsible for {Silence=Death} and other creative works used in ACT UP protests and campaigns. Having adopted the name Gran Fury after noticing that was the model used by the NYPD as patrol cars, the group began just as AIDS gained its official name, in 1982. The group formed to talk about the experience of being gay men in the age of AIDS, but the personal soon turned political.

While a linear history appropriately begins at the beginning, Lowery crafts his narrative in such a way as to explain the early years of the epidemic for readers who did not live through or are not familiar with the initial decades of the AIDS crisis. By focusing on the art and artists, he provides an origin story of AIDS activism that has not previously been told. The personal stories of the nine men and two women who at different times were part of Gran Fury develop alongside the narrative of their art and activism. Among them are men who lived with and died from AIDS as well as others who lost lovers and countless friends in the epidemic. Lowery conducted hundreds of hours of interviews and drew on existing archives to create the firsthand accounts of Gran Fury and ACT UP. Without being sentimental, he creates depth for the characters in this narrative that facilitates pathos for the reader.

These accounts focus on the interpersonal relationships among the friends and activists as well as detailing the artwork created by the group. {Silence=Death} began as a poster that, like so much underground and guerilla art, was adhered to wood and metal in New York City using wheatpaste. The processes of developing the ideas and designs, then funding production and managing distribution of the posters is detailed in Lowery’s narrative. The intertwined roles of artists and activists are articulated by the members of Gran Fury. Lowery notes that where
{Silence=Death} represented the anger and fear of the original six members, their second project, {He Kills Me}, “began as one person’s expression of love and the ensuing grief. But it too became part of this larger movement.” {He Kills Me} is a diptych of a smirking Ronald Reagan and a bullseye target, designed by painter Donald Moffett. Both posters became part of the t-shirts and other promotional material developed by ACT UP to raise both money and awareness.

Like the majority of the members of Gran Fury, Moffett is a practicing artist whose work is part of the permanent collection of museums including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum in New York. The collective also produced an installation called {Let the Record Show…} and exhibited a controversial poster installation at the 1990 Venice Biennale. The exhibit at the Biennale exemplifies Gran Fury’s difficulties in determining whether their work was art or activism. The group believed that their work must always be directed at raising awareness and protesting the lack of focus and funding for AIDS. The decision to go ahead with the Biennale project was made because it was seen as an opportunity to confront the Catholic Church for its stance on condom use. One Gran Fury poster in the Biennale featured a photograph of the Pope and the other, {Sexism Rears Its Unprotected Head} included a photograph of an erect penis. Gran Fury member Michael Nesline told Lowery that through this controversial artwork, the collective created space for a conversation about AIDS where one had not been before.

Gran Fury’s participation in ACT UP’s demonstrations--including the occupation of the Food and Drug Administration offices and the National Institutes of Health--shows the collective’s enormous contribution to the movement and its successes. Lowery finally lays out his argument for the impact of ACT UP and Gran Fury in creating change in both culture and policy. While it is an emotional portrait of anger, grief, loss and love, his book is also testament to art’s power for transformation.

An incredible work of non-fiction linking art and activism during the AIDS crisis. This was my first venture into non-fiction, rather than historical fiction about the era and I couldn't recommend it more.

It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight a Pandemic chronicles the work of Gran Fury, the fleeting AIDS advocacy group best known for coining the slogan Silence = Death. Jack Lowery takes the time to introduce us to each of the eleven main members of the group, and details the brainstorming and promotion of each piece they published before ultimately dissolving after years of infighting. The parts I enjoyed the most were when we learned about how people were coping with the disease itself, but that was secondary to the focus on Gran Fury's work.

If The Normal Heart was compatible with And The Band Plays On, then It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful overlaps most with How to Survive a Plague (although Larry Kramer is featured in all of them). Beginning in the late-80s, It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful expresses none of the sympathy for healthcare workers and scientists that Randy Shilts' doorstopper did, and takes a particularly harsh view of the government. This is all understandable, but it does create a certain tunnel vision within the book (for instance, why doesn't anyone ever mention the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which happened while Gran Fury was in operation?).

Nevertheless, It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful is a good resource for a portion of history that is often overlooked, while also being fluid enough to function as a recreational read. I am glad that I read it, even if I often felt disconnected from the central characters.

Thank you for access to this book via giveaway! I enjoyed being able to check it out and have actually used it in a lesson I designed to bridge STEAM field access to queer-identifying teens, and both I and they all loved it. I also told friends about it who would be interested in the premise. Thanks for the opportunity to learn more!

As someone who came of age as AIDS was taking hold, it is sometimes painful to remember the fear, distrust, and hate that occurred in the 1980s and early 1990s. I used to watch as activists fought to get care for patients, and reading the history of it was a powerful reminder of the power of people working towards a common goal. This is a very well-written, well-researched book.

The history of the LGBTQ+ community goes back much further than the twentieth century, but the AIDS crisis that took place in the Western world stands tall as a period during which morality was weaponized against others suffering from an unknown virus and seen as a stigma against so-called "Christian" values. Many people stepped up to help and heal in a time when avoidance was widely accepted. Artists were one of these groups of individuals who provided a look into such a terrifying and troubling time.

A fascinating and important story, and a good entry point for a lot of other reading and research into the AIDs crisis, ACT UP, and Gran Fury. A thorough but very engaging read—I finished it in record time for non-fiction, which I usually struggle to get through.

Thanks to Bold Type Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful details the activity and activism of Gran Fury, an art collective formed to fight back during the AIDS crisis. This book gets into the details of membership, relationships, and the art created by this group. I found it so interesting, but of course heartbreaking. It's devastating to read about people fighting so, so hard for treatments and cures from governments and doctors who didn't care enough to make it happen. It's also heartbreaking to read about members testing positive and slowly succumbing to disease.

While this book could slow down at times, it really encompassed the activity of this group and taught me a lot. Some of the art I'd seen, some of the members I'd heard about, but is such a good comprehensive look. I'm so glad I read it.

This was an excellent book on the history of the AIDS crisis. It recounts the different ways that art was used and includes images of the art used. It describes the processes that they took to create the art. The writing was great and provided a lot of insight into the activism and the attitudes of the people during the crisis. This was a fascinating and well written account.

I would like to thank Bold Type Books for providing me with an ARC.

An absolutely riveting historical examination. I highly recommend gathering your feelings (sadness , rage & curiosity) and settling in for an incredibly important close up perusal of queer history. Important, thoughtful and at times incredibly hard to read - in the way that all great books are.