Artist's Spotlight: David Martin aka Anos Nemos
- therandommuser
- Aug 25
- 4 min read
Today I throw a spotlight on vintage gay artist David Martin, who created a wide variety of works under the pseudonym 'Anos Nemos'. His style, switching between colour and black and white with ease, and incorporating elements of kink and fantasy into ordinary situations, catches the eye.
I owe a great deal of information about David to his lifelong friend and collaborative partner Felice Picano, who I had the honour of speaking to a bit in the previous year before his own sad passing in March 2025. He was an invaluable font of insight into David and his life, of which there is sadly very little left online except for his art, which has been preserved by avid fans and collectors over the years.
To respect and honour Felice's contribution to this tribute I shall let him tell you about David in his own words that he sent to me:
Regarding your inquiry about David Martin. Yes, he died in the early to mid 1990's in San Diego. He'd relocated there maybe seven years earlier.
I knew him in New York quite well -- he was a friend --and wonderfully talented.
Besides the book he did with me--An Asian Minor-- he did a great deal of art, both color and b/white for gay magazines of the era --Blueboy, especially. I can look at a piece of art and know it is David's work.
He used live models. Several of the illustrations from An Asian Minor were portraits of
friends, including my husband Bob Lowe and another friend, Frank Diaz who Rbt. Mapplethorpe famous photographed in profile holding a butcher knife.
David did the cover to the original edition of my book, Slashed to Ribbons in Defense of Love (1983) with a portrait of me on the cover.
For years he did the art for Lighthouse Court advertisements, a hotel in Key West, Fla you could find in old issues of Christopher Street magazines, and others.
I have inherited a painting of his. "Knock Out" a handsome boxer in his corner with a black eye.
He also did art for other books by other authors. He as active from at least 1972 to 1992
As far as I know, there are no living relatives of David--or at least who would admit to being his relatives. He came from a Western U.S. state (Wyoming?) and he never referred to his family. So I'm guessing that they had separated with ill-will.
Felice
To honour David's works, you can view the gallery of his gorgeous artwork that I have preserved below, each with their particular title given with each piece:
I hope you have enjoyed this collection of David's works and see what talent he possessed.
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