American photographer Catherine Opie has not only documented the cultural shift of the last few decades, she has also lived it. Once an outsider shooting her own “fringe community,” Opie is celebrated today for her evocative black and white and color photography and her confrontational examination of gender conventions. Through her lens, she investigates themes of individual identity and community.
Opie was born in Ohio in 1961 and spent her childhood in the Midwest. When she was 13, her family moved to California, where she set up a darkroom in the spare bedroom of the new house and started taking photographs. She received her BFA from San Francisco Art Institute in 1985, followed by an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in 1988.
Opie started gaining recognition in the 1990s for her intimate studio portraits featuring other lesbian, gay and transgender artists and personal friends. Harkening back to traditional Renaissance-style portrait paintings, the photographs helped increase the visibility of marginalized communities as the fight for LGBTQ rights took shape.
Opie has embraced a range of additional subject matter. She traveled across the United States to photograph widely varying but quintessentially American groups, from high school football players to members of a staunchly conservative political movement. She documented ice-fishing sheds in Minnesota, the 2008 US presidential inauguration, the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival and anything and everything that caught her interest. For 2015’s 700 Nimes Road (DelMonico Books/Prestel), Opie trained her eclectic lens on the house and personal belongings of Elizabeth Taylor.
Opie has been teaching at the University of California, Los Angeles, since 2001 and has garnered numerous prestigious awards for her work, including the Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2008, the Guggenheim’s “Catherine Opie: American Photographer” exhibition spanned four floors and attracted thousands of people every day until it closed.
Despite her recognition and accolades, Opie continues to prefer subversive imagery. "Photographs are different these days," she told Introspective magazine in 2020. "The ones I like best are from those people who are bearing witness, like images of the protestors."
On 1stDibs, find original Catherine Opie photography and prints.
Curators, Catherine Opie Signed Vintage Photograph
By Catherine Opie
Located in Surfside, FL
CATHERINE OPIE (b. 1961, OH), SIGNED Vintage limited edition Photograph Born in Sandusky, OH, Catherine Opie received a BFA from San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from the Cali...
Silver Gelatin
30 Minutes After Inauguration
By Catherine Opie
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Catherine Opie (b. 1961) is a renowned American photographer best known for her bold portraits, mysterious landscapes, and thought-provoking explorations of identity, community, gend...
C Print
Price Upon Request
Untitled (Gabby)
By Catherine Opie
Located in New York, NY
Catherine Opie Untitled 1989 Signed, dated, and inscribed in pencil, verso Vintage gelatin silver print 7 x 7 inches, image Contact gallery for price.
Silver Gelatin
$580
H 36 in W 48 in
Red Sea Sunset, Giclée Print Diptych, Pink and Purple Calm Cave Waters, Serene
By Ryan Rivadeneyra
Located in Barcelona, ES
Cyd Fontaine (Lausanne, 1992) is a contemporary artist renowned for her captivating use of dreamy atmospheric gradients, which has helped her carve a distinctive niche in the world o...
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, C Print, Digital, G...
Marilyn Monroe in Something's Got to Give - 4
By Lawrence Schiller
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Lawrence Schiller, American (1936 - ) Title: Marilyn Monroe in Something's Got to Give - 4 Year: 1962 (printed 2007) Medium: Gelatin Silver Print, Signed in ink Edition: AP 3...
Silver Gelatin
$4,816
H 30 in W 20 in
Catherine Zeta-Jones (Limited Edition of 25) - Celebrity Photography
By John Stoddart 1
Located in New York, NY
This 1991 fine art print features Catherine Zeta-Jones when she was a TV actress in Britain and aspiring to be a Hollywood Star. Her success in The Darling Buds of May (English comed...
Silver Gelatin
$15,000
H 60 in W 45 in D 0.3 in
She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD7394) - large scale abstract photograph
By Mona Kuhn
Located in San Francisco, CA
In the series 'She Disappeared into Complete Silence' (2014) Mona Kuhn takes a new direction into abstraction. She turns to a highly austere and restrained reductionist geometry and ...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$11,400
H 40 in W 30 in D 0.3 in
She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD6387) - large scale abstract photograph
By Mona Kuhn
Located in San Francisco, CA
In the series 'She Disappeared into Complete Silence' (2014) Mona Kuhn takes a new direction into abstraction. She turns to a highly austere and restrained reductionist geometry and distilled formal purity, connecting the interior to the exterior, the visible to the hidden. These reflections cause one to linger, as they merge to create a dynamic equilibrium of tension, spaces and rythms. AD6387 (She Disappeared into Complete Silence) 40" x 30" / 102cm x 76cm edition of 8 + 2AP 60" x 45" / 152cm x 114cm edition of 8 + 2AP limited edition photograph is printed under artist supervision and accompanied by signed artist certificate: artist signature labels are 8x10 in size signed, editioned, dated and titled by the artist, and stamped for authenticity label __________________ About the artist Acclaimed for her contemporary depictions, Kuhn is considered a leading artist in the world of figurative discourse. Throughout a career spanning more than twenty years, the underlying theme of her work is her reflection on humanity’s longing for spiritual connection and solidarity. As she solidified her photographic style, Kuhn created a notable approach to the nude by developing friendships with her subjects, and employing a range of playful visual strategies that use natural light and minimalist settings to evoke a sublime sense of comfort between the human figure and its environment. Her work is natural, restful, and a reinterpretation of the nude in the canon of contemporary art. For the past two decades, the Los-Angeles based artist's works have been shown steadily, revealing an astonishing consistency in technique, of subject and of purpose. In 2001, Kuhn’s photographs were first seen by an influential audience during the exhibition at Charles Cowles Gallery in Chelsea, New York. Kuhn’s distinct aesthetic has propelled her as one of the most collectible contemporary art photographers—her work is in private and public collections worldwide and she is represented by galleries across the United States, Europe and Asia. Kuhn was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1969, of German descent. In 1989, Kuhn moved to the US and earned her BA from The Ohio State University, before furthering her studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. She is currently an independent scholar at The Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Occasionally, Mona teaches at UCLA and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Mona Kuhn’s first monograph, Photographs, was debuted by Steidl in 2004; followed by Evidence (2007), Native (2010), Bordeaux Series (2011), Private (2014), and She Disappeared into Complete Silence (2018/19). In addition, Stanley/Barker Editions published Kuhn's Bushes and Succulents (2018) with a debut at Musee Jeu de Paume in Paris in 2019. Thames & Hudson published a career retrospective titled Works. Kuhn's most recent publication Kings Road with Steidl accompanies a multi-dimensional museum exhibition in Germany and the US. Mona Kuhn’s work is in private and public collections worldwide, including The J. Paul Getty Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Hammer Museum, the Perez Art Museum in Miami, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Kiyosato Museum in Japan. Kuhn's work has been exhibited at The Louvre Museum and Le Bal in Paris, The Whitechapel Gallery and Royal Academy of Arts in London, Musée de l’Elysée in Switzerland, Leopold Museum in Vienna Austria, The Polygon Gallery in Vancouver Canada, Australian Centre for Photography and Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan. Mona Kuhn currently lives and works in Los Angeles. __________________ Solo Exhibitions 2024 Mona Kuhn: Between Modernism and Surrealism, Houk Gallery, New York, NY 2023 Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Galerie XII...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin, Giclée
$688
H 37.41 in W 25.6 in D 0.04 in
Burlesque Series, Delilah Right Red Hand IIII, The Whoopee Club, London
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
Richard Heeps became well-known for his Burlesque Photography after he spent 2003 capturing performances in Britain & America. He spent a lot on time with his subjects on a number of...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
$688
H 37.41 in W 25.6 in D 0.04 in
Burlesque Series, Delilah Right Red Hand II, The Whoopee Club, London
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
Richard Heeps became well-known for his Burlesque Photography after he spent 2003 capturing performances in Britain & America. He spent a lot on time with his subjects on a number of...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
$20,679
H 24.41 in W 36.23 in
Le Baiser – Marianne Maric, Body, Woman, Nude, Kiss, Sculpture, Paris, Artwork
Located in Zurich, CH
Marianne MARIĆ (*1982, France) Le Baiser, 2015 Silver gelatin print Image 62 x 92 cm (24 3/8 x 36 1/4 in.) Sheet 92 x 108 cm (36 1/4 x 42 1/2 in.) Edition of 5, plus 2 AP; Ed. no. 5/...
Silver Gelatin
$818
H 44.1 in W 33.47 in D 1.97 in
Burlesque Series, Delilah Right Red Hand II, The Whoopee Club, London
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
Richard Heeps became well-known for his Burlesque Photography after he spent 2003 capturing performances in Britain & America. He spent a lot on time with his subjects on a number of...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
$688
H 33.47 in W 27.56 in D 0.04 in
Burlesque Series, Sophie Sequence, The Whoopee Club, London,
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
Richard Heeps became well-known for his Burlesque Photography after he spent 2003 capturing performances in Britain & America. He spent a lot on time with his subjects on a number of...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
$688
H 25.6 in W 37.41 in D 0.04 in
Burlesque Series, Belles of Shoreditch, The Whoopee Club, London
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
Richard Heeps became well-known for his Burlesque Photography after he spent 2003 capturing performances in Britain & America. He spent a lot on time with his subjects on a number of...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
$580
H 36 in W 48 in
Under the Volcano, Mauve and Yellow, Earth Tones Diptych, Space Shapes, Mountain
By Cyd Fontaine
Located in Barcelona, ES
Cyd Fontaine (Lausanne, 1992) is a contemporary artist renowned for her captivating use of dreamy atmospheric gradients, which has helped her carve a distinctive niche in the world o...
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, C Print, Digital, G...
$580
H 36 in W 48 in
Eclipse Diptych, Galaxy Landscape in Black and White, Black Hole, Space Print
By Ryan Rivadeneyra
Located in Barcelona, ES
Cyd Fontaine (Lausanne, 1992) is a contemporary artist renowned for her captivating use of dreamy atmospheric gradients, which has helped her carve a distinctive niche in the world o...
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, C Print, Digital, G...
$410
H 17.72 in W 22.84 in D 1.42 in
Limited Edition Black and White Photographic Art Print "Naturally Curious"
By Gary Hirson
Located in Cape Town, ZA
A limited edition (out of 25) black and white photographic print. Framed with a black wood-grain box frame and floated to the white backboard. The dimensions of 45 x 58 cm is the dim...
Giclée, Archival Paper
$9,880
H 20.01 in W 23.63 in
69YK #2 – Nobuyoshi Araki, Japanese Photography, Nude, Black and White, Art
By Nobuyoshi Araki
Located in Zurich, CH
Nobuyoshi ARAKI (*1940, Japan) 69YK #2, 2009 Gelatin silver print 50.8 x 60 cm (20 x 23 5/8 in.) Print only Nobuyoshi Araki (Tokyo, 1940) is a Tokyo-based photographer. Araki compl...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Alaska Landscape #3
By Catherine Opie
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Catherine Opie (b. 1961) is a renowned American photographer best known for her bold portraits, mysterious landscapes, and thought-provoking explorations of identity, gender, and soc...
C Print
Still from the Modernist
By Catherine Opie
Located in New York, NY
This photograph by Catherine Opie was produced in an edition of 70 in 2022, and is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Archival Pigment
Curators, Catherine Opie Signed Vintage Photograph
By Catherine Opie
Located in Surfside, FL
CATHERINE OPIE (b. 1961, OH), SIGNED Vintage limited edition Photograph Born in Sandusky, OH, Catherine Opie received a BFA from San Francisco Art Inst...
Silver Gelatin
Pig Pen
By Catherine Opie
Located in New York, NY
Pig Pen 1993/2021 Signed and numbered, verso Archival pigment print (Edition of 5 + 3 APs) 12.25 x 9 inches (31.1 x 22.9 cm), image Contact gallery for price. This work is offer...
Archival Pigment
Mx. Justin Vivian Bond (Kiki DuRane)
By Catherine Opie
Located in New York, NY
Mx. Justin Vivian Bond (Kiki DuRane) 1993/2008 Signed and numbered, verso Archival pigment print (Edition of 100) 10 x 8 inches (25.4 x 20.3 cm), image Contact gallery for price.
Archival Pigment
From Here to There
By Catherine Opie
Located in New York, NY
From Here to There 2009 Signed in black ink, verso Archival pigment print 6 x 6 inches (15.24 x 15.24 cm), sheet 5.5 x 5.5 inches (14 x 14 cm), image This work is offered by Clam...
Archival Pigment
Trash
By Catherine Opie
Located in New York, NY
Chromogenic print Signed on label, verso Accompanied by a letter from the artist explaining the background of the photograph. 70 x 30 inches, image This artwork is offered by Clam...
C Print
Curators, Catherine Opie Signed Vintage Photograph
By Catherine Opie
Located in Surfside, FL
CATHERINE OPIE (b. 1961, OH), SIGNED Vintage limited edition Photograph Born in Sandusky, OH, Catherine Opie received a BFA from San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. Opie's work has been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan: The Walker Art Center, Minneopolis, MN; St. Louis Art Museum, MO; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA; The Photographers' Gallery, London, UK; Regen Projects, Los Angeles, CA; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK; Studio Guenzani, Milan, Italy; and Ginza Art Space, Tokyo, Japan. She is currently a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, CA. Catherine Opie has become known for her photographic portraits of gay communities and American urban landscapes ranging from large color images of Beverly Hills and Bel Air homes to small jewel-like silver gelatin prints of the Los Angeles freeways. Moving from the territory of the body to the structure of the city and its surrounding landscape, Opie is engaged in what curator and writer, Joshua Decter describes as "cultural portraiture". Her subject matters vary from the Minneapolis/St. Paul vernacular landscape of skyways, to large-format images of ice-fishing houses and portraits of a clan of surfers who await the perfect wave. As such, Opie has become one of the nation's most important photographers today documenting the American scene through regional landscapes and cultural portraiture. Since the prominent debut of her classically composed but often shocking images capturing Los Angeles's gay subculture, Opie has continued to explore the rich terrain of cultural portraiture and the documentary tradition in America. In its compelling clarity and inherent variation, her work reveals a deeply personal commitment to the dignity of her subjects. SELECT RECENT SOLO EXHIBITIONS: 2016 'Catherine Opie: Portraits', Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA (1/30 - 5/22) 'Catherine Opie: 700 Nimes Road', MoCA Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, CA (1/23 - 5/8) 'Catherine Opie: 700 Nimes Road', Lehmann Maupin, New York NY (1/14 - 2/27) 'Catherine Opie: Portraits and Landscapes', Lehmann Maupin, New York NY (1/14 - 2/27) 2015 'Storylines: Contemporary Art at the Guggenheim' (group exhibition), Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY 'Catherine Opie: Portraits and Landscapes', Wexner Center for the Arts, Minneapolis, MN 2013 'Catherine Opie', Regen Projects, Los Angeles, CA 2014 'The Gang: Photographs by Catherine Opie', Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK 2012 'The Importance of Being Photographed' (group exhibition), University of South Florida (USF) Contemporary Art Museum Institute for Research in Art (IRA), Tampa, FL 'Catherine Opie: High School Football', Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York, NY 'Catherine Opie Photographs Cliff May...
Silver Gelatin