THOMAS LANIGAN-SCHMIDT (B. 1948)

Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt was a veteran of the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village and had his first gallery show at the 98 Greene Street loft in SoHo. One of the most politically and socially active artists exhibited at the Holly Solomon’s Gallery, his mixed-media constructions and installations frequently combine the themes of religion and homosexuality. Recently, Lanigan-Schmidt was the subject of a retrospective at MoMA PS1, in which both the “boy” and “girl” rat were exhibited. These “rats” also carry an amusing story with them. In the 1970s, during one of her American tours, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother visited the Holly Solomon Gallery on West Broadway in SoHo. She swooped in with her entourage, met the gallery staff and exited shortly thereafter. Holly realized that she had neglected to present the Queen Mother with a souvenir for her visit. She quickly grabbed a Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt rat, raced out the door and presented it to the Queen Mother as she was entering her limousine. The Queen Mother’s response was something to the effect of: “Oh dear, no one has ever presented me with a rat before.”