David Wojnarowicz was an author, poet, photographer, musician, filmmaker and painter whose work as an AIDS activist influenced his visionary and revolutionary art. Personal experiences of disenfranchisement and the stories of people he met living on the margins of society informed the narratives of his work, with identity, sexuality and a bristling against political structures all contributing to its visceral edge. Wojnarowicz unapologetically channeled his anger at the injustices exacted on minorities and alternative lifestyles through repressive governments and financial systems into his paintings, prints, collages and photography.
Wojnarowicz was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 1954. He had a tumultuous childhood, dropping out of high school and living on the streets by the time he was 16. He spent much of his youth hitchhiking, spending time in San Francisco and then Paris.
Wojnarowicz moved to New York’s East Village in 1978, where he began exhibiting his art, which he frequently made from found materials. He became a central figure in the culture wars of the 1980s and 1990s, refusing to censor his work, which often forthrightly reflected his queer sexuality and his fury at the conservative establishment. Particularly after the death of his lover Peter Hujar in 1987, he concentrated on the government’s political inaction during the AIDS crisis. As he wrote in his 1991 memoir, Close to the Knives, “To make the private into something public is an action that has terrific repercussions.”
Wojnarowicz died in 1992 from complications due to AIDS. His art is in major collections around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tate Modern and the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, which has championed LGBTQ+ artists such as Wojnarowicz for decades. In 2018, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York held a retrospective of his work.
Find David Wojnarowicz mixed media works, paintings, photography and other art on 1stDibs.
Untitled (For Act Up), graphic, contemporary, political
By David Wojnarowicz
Located in New York, NY
Two signed and dated colored screen-prints on woven paper political analogy with a motif of the United States as a target. The overlayed text rails against the lack of response to th...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Untitled (Between C & D)
By David Wojnarowicz
Located in New York, NY
In this offset poster, printed in collaboration with the Lower East Side literary magazine, "Between C & D," David Wojnarowicz confronts and denounces violence against members of the LGBT community. Cynthia Carr discusses this poster in her biography, "Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz." She relates the episode of when Wojnarowicz became estranged from collaborator Marion Scemama during the production of this piece and inked out her name on the copies of the poster in his possession. This is a copy from his estate. Between C & D (1983–1990) was a Lower East Side quarterly literary magazine edited by Joel Rose and Carherine Texier. Though a geographical reference to the blocks between Avenue C and Avenue D in New York City's East Village neighborhood, “Between C & D” has also been suggested to mean “between coke and dope,” giving an indication of the publication's transgressive content and ethos. The magazine's actual tagline was “Sex. Drugs. Danger. Violence. Computers.” It was printed on fanfold computer paper, sold in a plastic bag, and featured original artwork on each binding. Contributors included Kathy Acker, Dennis Cooper, Gary Indiana, Tama Janowitz...
Offset
Marfa Moonrise
By Kristin Moore
Located in New Orleans, LA
Archival pigment ink print on Hahnemuhle cotton paper, edition 4 of 30. In this new series of paintings, Moore explores themes of wanderlust and memory. From glowing neon signage, t...
Rag Paper, Archival Pigment
$2,200
H 40 in W 32 in
Topiary III - large format photograph of ornamental shaped tree in urban setting
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
From a series of photographic observances capturing the antics of urban gardening and striking art of topiaries' green minimalism TOPIARY III by Frank Schott 40 x 32 inches (102 x...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper, Archival Ink
$238Sale Price|20% Off
H 18.25 in W 14 in D 0.05 in
Halo Freedom - Grateful Dead & more. original concert poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Halo Freedom - Rick Griffin original 1966 poster. Benefit for Haight Ashbury Legal Organization, an On-scene summer long guarantee of your Freedom. Indian Agent Excellent / mint condition. The image is to resemble a distressed old photograph, but this poster is meint as stated. No damage, no pinholes, no bent corners… just very fine indeed! PERFORMERS: Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Charlatans Haight Ashbury Legal Organization. Winterland Concert HALO (Haight Ashbury Legal Organization) Original First Printing, not a reproduction. Concert featuring: The Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin with Big Brother & The Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Charlatans...
Offset
$398
H 22.38 in W 9 in D 0.1 in
Joan Baez in Concert Under the Stars original 1975 Concert vintage poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original concert poster: Joan Baez in Concert Under the Stars, Oct 31, 1975, Orange County, CA. Artist: Rick Griffin. Size: 9.75" x 23 3/8". Black and White original concert...
Offset
$700
H 18 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
Untitled (Nr. 0895) Seascape Photography 18" x 24" in Ed. 1/20 by Ben Cope
By Ben Cope
Located in Culver City, CA
Untitled (Nr. 0895) Seascape Photography 18" x 24" in Ed. 1/20 by Ben Cope Signed and numbered by the artist. Unframed - ships rolled in a tube Ben Cope + Rowan Daly Off the Grid...
Archival Pigment
$2,280Sale Price|20% Off
H 28 in W 22.25 in D 0.05 in
Original Buy Bonds Every Payday vintage World War 2 vintage poster
By Martha Sawyers
Located in Spokane, WA
Original World War 2 vintage poster: YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS EITHER! BUY BONDS EVERY PAYDAY. Linen-backed, fine condition, ready to frame. Great ...
Offset
$398Sale Price|20% Off
H 41 in W 27 in D 0.05 in
The Law vs Billy The Kid, original 1954 linen backed US 1 sheet movie poster
Located in Spokane, WA
The Law vs. Billy the Kid, is an original 1954 vintage movie poster. Dead for six dollars! Archival linen backed and ready for framing. This The Law...
Offset
$1,250
H 39.5 in W 28 in D 0.05 in
Original "Just Meet Those Schedules, Will You?" vintage poster
By Norman Wilkinson
Located in Spokane, WA
Original. " "Just meet those schedules, will you?" vintage poster. Lithograph. U. S. Army Official Poster. An American pilot, complete with goggles and a flying cap, holds a map up while smiling with a headline of "Just meet those schedules, will you?". Linen-backed and ready to frame World War 2 vintage poster, 1944. This exclusive vintage World War II poster is a rare and beautiful piece of history. This original and authentic poster is truly a sight to behold, showcasing an iconic image of an Army Air Force...
Offset
$135Sale Price|20% Off
H 41 in W 27 in D 0.05 in
'Counselor at Crime' original 1973 movie poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Shock and awe! Original Counselor at Crime vintage movie poster. 'Good with the Law, Better with a Gun! Paper, original theater fold. Very good condition without any paper loss or tears. 1973 When the godson of San Francisco's crime lord asks permission to leave "the business," Don Antonio (Martin Balsam) agrees, but reluctantly. Such behavior by either one is a violation of the code, and a bloody mob war breaks out. It is only through the strong support of his family connections in Sicily that Don Antonio is able to survive the melee and come out on top. Aghast at the situation he has caused, the godson (Tomas Milian) becomes his leader's "consigliere," or Counselor at Crime. This Italian movie was filmed in English in San Francisco, California, and Palermo, Sicily. This is a man-cave vintage poster, one that you very seldom see or have the chance to purchase. Printed in black and white with red to grab your attention. Italian movie in English. The poster was originally folded, like all early movie posters, so that it could be sent to the movie theater. Original fold marks. Some small scuff marks at the fold marks. No tears. The original fold marks are not classified as flaws in old movie posters...
Offset
Ode to Dyce's Paolo and Francesca II
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
Edition 2 of 7 with 2 APs Framing is an additional $265. Photography and acting are kindred spirits in the new series by e2 (Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien). Their current ph...
Archival Pigment
$158Sale Price|20% Off
H 22 in W 28 in D 0.04 in
Original 1950 'The Sundowners' vintage movie poster half sheet
Located in Spokane, WA
Original vintage movie poster: "The Sundowners" is a 1950 American film directed by George Templeton. Horizontal half sheet U. S. Movie poster. The Sundowners is a 1950 American ...
Offset
$679Sale Price|20% Off
H 41 in W 27 in D 0.05 in
Original "The Joe Louis Story", 1953 vintage movie poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original “The Joe Louis Story” vintage movie poster (United Artists, 1953). One Sheet (27" X 41"). Sports. Archival linen backed. Starring: Coley Wallace, Hilda Simms, Paul Stewart, James Edwards, John Marley, Dots Johnson, Evelyn Ellis, Carl 'Rocky' Latimer, John Marriott, Ike Jones, P. Jay Sidney, Royal Beal, Ruby Goldstein, Max Baer...
Offset
Sold
H 6 in W 8 in
David Wojnarowicz 1986-1999: a set of 4 illustrated announcements
By David Wojnarowicz
Located in NEW YORK, NY
David Wojnarowicz 1986-1999: a set of 4 illustrated announcements: A rare set of 4 vintage gallery announcement cards, 3 of which published during Wojnarowicz's lifetime. Published o...
Offset
True Myth (Kraft Grape Jelly), typography,
By David Wojnarowicz
Located in New York, NY
A silkscreen print of kraft grape jelly in with 99 cents written underneath. A picture of two babies squeezing milk out of a wolf's breasts layers over the adv...
Silk
Sold
H 6 in W 8 in
David Wojnarowicz illustrated announcement 1987 (Gracie Mansion gallery)
By David Wojnarowicz
Located in NEW YORK, NY
David Wojnarowicz’s The Four Elements at Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York, 1987. Offset printed announcement card; approximately 6x8 inches (folded closed). Good overall vintage co...
Offset
David Wojnarowicz illustrated announcement New York 1983
By David Wojnarowicz
Located in NEW YORK, NY
David Wojnarowicz New York 1983: Rare early 1980s David Wojnarowicz illustrated announcement card advertising a sale at Dianne Benson’s store, Dianne B, Decem...
Offset
Untitled (One Day This Kid. . .)
By David Wojnarowicz
Located in New York, NY
Letterpress (Edition of 100) Estate stamped in black ink and numbered, verso This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. David Wojnarowicz was born in Red Bank, ...
Black and White
Act Up (Diptych)
By David Wojnarowicz
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: David Wojnarowicz Title: Act Up (Diptych) Year: 1990 Medium: Two Silkscreens, one signed and dated in pencil Image: 18.5 x 23.5 inches Each Sheet ...
Screen