Peter Hujar: 21 Pictures

An exhibition reflecting the artist’s personal and unidealized approach to photography.

Over the course of 30 years, Peter Hujar (1934–1987) embraced an ambitious range of subject matter—from studio work to street photography to landscapes. To reflect the broad scope of the artist’s work, Fraenkel Gallery is pleased to announce Peter Hujar: 21 Pictures, to be presented January 7 – March 5, 2016.

Lower Manhattan from the Harbor, 1976
gelatin silver print, 20 x 16 inches (sheet) [50.8 x 40.6 cm]

Looking beyond Hujar’s most celebrated works, 21 Pictures will also feature a number of less familiar photographs, such as gritty scenes of city life in the 1970s and 1980s, dramatic seascapes, poignant still lifes, and penetrating “portraits” of animals, in which he conveys the vulnerability and individuality of his subjects.

Bouche Walker (Reggie’s Dog), 1981
gelatin silver print, 20 x 16 inches (sheet) [50.8 x 40.6 cm]

Hujar’s work is also notable for its candid exploration of sexuality, death, and life. The exhibition will include openly erotic portraits, as well as a haunting photograph of the Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, Sicily.

Self-Portrait Jumping (I), 1974
gelatin silver print, 20 x 16 inches (sheet) [50.8 x 40.6 cm]

21 Pictures will be Fraenkel Gallery’s fourth solo exhibition of Hujar’s work, and it follows two years after the gallery’s publication Peter Hujar: Love & Lust.

Works on View

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