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Nan Goldin Nude Photography

American, b. 1953

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.

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Artist: Nan Goldin
Supreme Nan Goldin skateboard deck (Nan as a Dominatrix)
By Nan Goldin
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Nan Goldin Supreme Skateboard Deck: 'Nan as a Dominatrix, Cambridge MA' (1978/2018): Published in 2018 by Supreme New York Features Nan Goldin printed...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Feminist Nan Goldin Nude Photography

Materials

Wood, Offset

Supreme Nan Goldin skateboard deck
By Nan Goldin
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Nan Goldin Supreme Skateboard Deck: 'Misty and Jimmy Paulette in a Taxi, NYC' (1991/2018): Published in 2018 by Supreme New York Features Nan Goldin printed...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Feminist Nan Goldin Nude Photography

Materials

Wood, Offset

Joey with Her New Breasts (NYC)
By Nan Goldin
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Nan Goldin (b. 1953) is one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. Beginning in the 1970's Goldin took candid shots of her lovers and friends - especially drag queens and trans women, characters often living on the margins of society, in New York City and beyond. "Cody in the Dressing Room at the Boy Bar, NYC” is a paradigm of Goldin's work from the early 1990’s celebrating both nightlife and its beautiful denizens. The photograph shows Cody, semi-nude and confidently posing for Goldin, as they either unwind after or are preparing for a performance. Situated in a dressing room signalled by the mirror, makeup and clothes strewn around. Behind Cody is a silver grid of black and white portraits taped to the wall, reminiscent of Warhol’s famous screen tests, and a reminder of Goldin's exceptional composition. Furthermore, the image is cropped right above the subject's waist leaving their actual gender ambiguous if not irrelevant. Today, images of drag queens and glamorous trans woman are increasingly common in Western culture, considering the success of TV shows such as Rupaul's Drag Race...
Category

1990s Contemporary Nan Goldin Nude Photography

Materials

Dye Transfer

Bobby masturbating, New York City [Bobby at home]
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Vintage chromogenic print, hand-printed by the artist Signed, titled, and dated, verso The photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Literature: Jack Ritchey, et...
Category

1980s Other Art Style Nan Goldin Nude Photography

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C Print

Geno in the lake, Bavaria
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Cibachrome print Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed, verso This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
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1990s Contemporary Nan Goldin Nude Photography

Materials

Color

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Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (Inscribed by Nan Goldin)
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GOLDIN, NAN. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency. 144 pp., 119 color photo-reproductions. Oblong 4to, cloth. New York, Aperture, 1986. Inscribed and dated by the artist. First edition. ...
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1990s Nan Goldin Nude Photography

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Nan Goldin nude photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Nan Goldin nude photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Nan Goldin in c print, dye transfer print, offset print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Nan Goldin nude photography, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Arthur Tress, E2 - Kleinveld & Julien, and Aldara Ortega. Nan Goldin nude photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $375 and tops out at $17,400, while the average work can sell for $8,888.

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