Nan GoldinBobby masturbating, New York City [Bobby at home]1980
1980
About the Item
- Creator:Nan Goldin (1953, American)
- Creation Year:1980
- Dimensions:Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU93233692792
Nan Goldin
When Nan Goldin discovered a flourishing drag queen community as an 18-year-old navigating downtown Boston, it would mark the start of her widely influential photography career and lay the foundation of the seminal work that would follow years later — “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency,” an ongoing series of stark, flash-lit snapshots documenting her experiences with the LGBTQ+ scene, most notably during the AIDS epidemic.
Goldin was born in Washington, D.C., but raised in Massachusetts. She left home around age 13 or 14, moved into a commune and attended a free experimental high school called Satya Community School, where she began shooting Polaroids of herself as well as her classmates. She found inspiration in the work of Andy Warhol, Larry Clark, Diane Arbus, Weegee, August Sander and in the glossy pages of French and Italian Vogue. Goldin attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and moved to New York City soon after she graduated.
Goldin was particularly drawn to the avant-garde music scene in Manhattan in the late 1970s and early ’80s, and “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency” would include many photos taken in her newly adopted city. Goldin first exhibited the series at the Whitney Biennial in 1985 before publishing it as a book a year later. In its startling honesty, Goldin’s gripping portraits captured sexual relationships, frank drug use, intimate scenes in the homes of families, partying at bars, domestic violence and the AIDS-related horrors faced by those in the era’s LGBTQ+ community. More than 700 images were featured in exhibitions over the years compared to the book’s 127 portraits.
“‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency’ is the diary I let people read,” wrote Goldin. “The diary is my form of control over my life. It allows me to obsessively record every detail. It enables me to remember.”
Goldin also felt that the project was autobiographical in a way, though only some of the images were self-portraits. “These were the people I lived with, these were my friends, these were my family, this was myself. I’d photograph people dancing while I was dancing. Or people having sex while I was having sex. Or people drinking while I was drinking. There was no separation between me and what I was photographing,” she told Bomb magazine.
Over the years, Goldin has collaborated with Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and completed projects for Jimmy Choo and Bottega Veneta. While her work has broadened to include New York City skylines, portraiture and commercial fashion photography, her commitment to documentary-style honesty has never wavered. In 2006, as part of Goldin’s "Chasing a Ghost” exhibit in New York City, a presentation was projected on three screens involving videos, photography and a musical collage focused on her older sister, Barbara, who took her own life in 1965.
Among Goldin’s many accolades are her admission to the French Legion of Honor in 2006, the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in 2007 and the Lucie Award in 2014.
Find a collection of original Nan Goldin photography on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Morning ShowerBy Luke SmalleyLocated in New York, NYDigital C-print Stamped and numbered, verso 20 x 24 inches (Edition of 10) 30 x 40 inches (Edition of 5) 50 x 60 inches (Edition of 3) This photograph is offered by ClampArt, loc...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Portrait Photography
MaterialsC Print
- Pink Flowers, Water ColorsBy James BidgoodLocated in New York, NYDigital C-print Signed, dated, and numbered, verso 15 x 15 inches, image (Edition of 25) 22 x 22 inches, image (Edition of 15) 31 x 31 inches, image (Edition of 15) This artwork ...Category
1960s Other Art Style Portrait Photography
MaterialsC Print
- Pan from BehindBy James BidgoodLocated in New York, NYDigital C-print Signed, dated, and numbered, verso 15 x 15 inches, image (Edition of 25) 22 x 22 inches, image (Edition of 15) 31 x 31 inches, image (Edition of 15) This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. A stylistic precursor of such artists as Pierre et Gilles and David LaChapelle, James Bidgood revolutionized gay male...Category
1960s Other Art Style Portrait Photography
MaterialsC Print
- HorizonBy AdeYLocated in New York, NYThis photograph by AdeY is offered by CLAMP in New York City. Horizon 2016 Signed and numbered, verso Archival pigment print (Edition of 3 + 2 APs) 29.5 x 39.4 inchesCategory
2010s Contemporary Portrait Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Erhardt WeikertBy Bruce of LALocated in New York, NYThis vintage silver print is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. One of the most famous names in physique photography, Bruce Bellas (1909–1974)—best known under the pseudonym Bruce of Los Angeles—is remembered today as a pioneer of beefcake. Beginning in the 1940s and continuing until his death in the 1970s, Bruce of LA photographed...Category
Mid-20th Century Other Art Style Portrait Photography
MaterialsBlack and White
- The Apsara, NYCBy Bill CostaLocated in New York, NYGelatin silver print (Edition of 5) Signed, titled, dated, and numbered in black ink, recto 8 x 10 inches, sheet size 6.5 x 9.5 inches, image size This artwork is offered by ClampA...Category
1990s Other Art Style Nude Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- The Princess Kiss - The Princess and her Lover, analog, not mountedBy Stefanie SchneiderLocated in Morongo Valley, CAThe Princess Kiss (The Princess and her Lover), 2009, Edition of 2/5, 100x98cm analog C-Print based, printed by the artist, on a Polaroid, not mounted, Signature label and Certi...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Portrait Photography
MaterialsArchival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
- AURIELEE SUMMERS, THE BATH by Markus KlinkoBy Markus KlinkoLocated in Austin, USMuseum quality fine art print of AURIELEE SUMMERS, THE BATH by photographer Markus Klinko in 2013 in Los Angeles. This print is available in the following sizes, signed and numbered...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Photography
MaterialsC Print
- LIZ, AT THE W CAUSING TROUBLE by Markus KlinkoBy Markus KlinkoLocated in Austin, USMuseum quality fine art print of LIZ, AT THE W CAUSING TROUBLE by photographer Markus Klinko in 2013 in Hollywood, Los Angeles. This print is available in the following sizes, signe...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Photography
MaterialsC Print
- Cai by Markus KlinkoBy Markus KlinkoLocated in Austin, USMuseum quality fine art print of Cai by photographer Markus Klinko in 2000 in New York. This print is available in the following sizes, signed and numbered by Markus Klinko 24" high...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Photography
MaterialsC Print
- A Portrait of the Artist as a young Woman - Contemporary, Polaroid, Nude, ColorBy Kirsten Thys van den AudenaerdeLocated in Morongo Valley, CA'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman' part of the series 'A Girl Called N.' - 2019 40x48cm, Edition of 7 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print based on a Polaroid. Signatu...Category
2010s Contemporary Portrait Photography
MaterialsArchival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
- Bath Time StoryBy Kirsten Thys van den AudenaerdeLocated in Morongo Valley, CABath Time Story - 2017, Edition of 7 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the original Polaroid, not mounted. Signature label and certificate. Artist inventory PL201...Category
2010s Contemporary Nude Photography
MaterialsC Print, Color, Polaroid, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Lori Grinker’s Artful Photographs of a Young Mike Tyson Are a Knockout!
The New York photographer tells us how an encounter with the then-13-year-old boxer led to a decade-long project that saw them both go pro.
In Marc Yankus’s Photos, New York Landmarks Are Pristinely Devoid of People
A new exhibition at Manhattan's ClampArt gallery shows off the artist's portraits of urban architectural icons.