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Nan Goldin 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
Swan-Like Embrace (Paris) by Nan Goldin
By Nan Goldin
Located in London, GB
By Nan Goldin, Swan-Like Embrace, Paris C-Print on paper 8 x 5 1/8 inches Signed
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

C Print

David Modelling
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 1970s, Goldin took candid shots of her friends and lovers, characters often l...
Category

1970s Contemporary Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Polaroid

Bea at the Other Side
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 1970s, Goldin took candid shots of her friends and lovers, characters often ...
Category

1970s Contemporary Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Polaroid

Self-portrait in blue dress, New York City, 1985
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
1985/2020 Signed, verso Archival pigment print 5 x 7 inches This photograph by Nan Goldin is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Category

1980s Contemporary Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

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 signature on verso From a sold...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Feminist Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Wood, Offset

Siobhan with Cat
By Nan Goldin
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Nan Goldin (b. 1953) is unquestionably one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. She began her career in the 1970s taking candid shots of her friends and lovers...
Category

1990s Contemporary Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

C Print

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 signature on verso From ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Feminist Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Wood, Offset

Bea with a whip at The Other Side
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Nan Goldin Bea with a whip at The Other Side 1973 Gelatin silver print 14 x 11 inches; 36 x 28 cm Edition of 100 Signed, titled, dated, and numbered in graphite (lower right verso) ...
Category

1970s Contemporary Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Memory Lost Sirens by Nan Goldin
By Nan Goldin
Located in London, GB
Digital print on Fuji Crystal Archive Matte paper 11 3/4 x 11 3/4 in 30 x 30 cm Edition of 300
Category

2010s Contemporary Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Digital Pigment

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 Photography

Materials

Dye Transfer

My Bed, Hotel La Louisiane, Paris
By Nan Goldin
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Nan Goldin (b. 1953) is one of the most influential, yet arguably underrated, photographers of the 20th century. Beginning in the 1970's Goldin took candid shots of her friends and lovers, characters often living on the margins of society. Following William Eggleston, Nan Goldin made an significant contribution to the evolution of color photography. "My Bed...
Category

1990s Post-Modern Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Dye Transfer

On the Beach, Boston
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 1970s, Goldin took candid shots of her friends and lovers, characters often li...
Category

1970s Post-Modern Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Butch in the Tub, NYC
By Nan Goldin
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Nan Goldin (b. 1953) is unquestionably one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. Goldin was the first to use the "slide show" format in a high-art setting. Beginning in the 1970's Goldin took candid shots of her lovers, friends and family characters often living on the margins of society in Boston and then New York City. "Butch in the Tub...
Category

1980s Conceptual Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

C Print

Pink sky from airplane
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Nan Goldin Pink sky from airplane 2000 Cibachrome 30 x 40 inches; 76 x 102 cm Edition of 15 Signed, titled, dated, and numbered in ink (verso) Available f...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, C Print

Apocalyptic Sky over Manhattan, NYC
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Nan Goldin Apocalyptic Sky over Manhattan, NYC, 2001 Cibachrome 27 1/4 x 40 inches (image) 28 1/4 x 41 inches (frame) AP 1, Edition of 15 Signed verso on label Black painted wood fr...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Color

Bea with a whip at The Other Side
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Bea with a whip at The Other Side 1973 Signed in pencil, verso; Also stamped with date, titled, and edition information, verso Gelatin silver print (Edition of 100) 13.25 x 8.875 ...
Category

1970s Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

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 Photography

Materials

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.
Category

1990s Contemporary Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Color

Self-portrait in party hat, New Year's Eve, "Renaissance, " Malibu
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.
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Nan Goldin Photography

Materials

Color

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Previously Available Items
Ivy in Rhinestones
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Jimmy Paulette and Taboo! Undressing, NYC
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Bea with a whip at The Other Side
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Nan Goldin Bea with a whip at The Other Side 1973 Gelatin silver print 14 x 11 inches; 36 x 28 cm Edition of 100 Signed, titled, dated, and numbered in graphite (lower right verso) Stamped in ink (lower right verso): Special edition to benefit Dr. Roger Weiss / and The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment / Program at McLean Hospital Available from Matthew Marks Gallery...
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Drugs on the rug
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
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C and So competing for the Oscar, Second Tip Bangkok, 1992
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
C and So competing for the Oscar, Second Tip Bangkok, 1992/printed later Signed in black ink, verso Chromogenic print 6 x 6 inches (15.24 x 15.24 cm), sheet 5.5 x 5.5 inches (14 x...
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Joana Topless at the Chateau le Bastion, 2000
By Nan Goldin
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Nan Goldin (b. 1953) began her career in the 1970's, as she took candid shots of her lovers and friends. In the 1980's she further documented her social circle, characters often living on the margins of society, in New York City and beyond. Many of Goldin's closest friends reappear images over the years. Goldin moved to Paris in 2000. Around this time the artist began to travel regularly and her images in the new millennium, while they continued to depict the lives of her friends and lovers, put more emphasis on the ambiance of a newly discovered city or environment. Many of Goldin's images (whether in France or beyond) put more emphasis on the subject's individuality rather than their sexuality or vulnerability. Perhaps Goldin simply began surrounding herself with people who were better adjusted, conventional or happy. This spontaneous and sensual image is a fine example of Goldin's work from the 2000's. It was included in the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Photography Portfolio...
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Cody in the Dressing Room
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Located in Toronto, Ontario
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Supreme Nan Goldin skateboard deck (Nan as a Dominatrix)
By Nan Goldin
Located in NEW YORK, NY
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Nan Goldin Swan-like embrace, Paris, 2001
By Nan Goldin
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Nan Goldin Swan-like embrace, Paris, 2001
By Nan Goldin
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Nan Goldin Swan-like embrace, Paris, 2001/printed later: Published by Nan Goldin to support PAIN, Truth Pharm, and RAPP (Release Aging People in Prison). Features hand signed artist...
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Simon on the subway
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Signed and numbered, verso Cibachrome print (Edition of 150) 16 x 20 inches Contact gallery for price. This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
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Nan Goldin photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Nan Goldin photography available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of photography to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of pink, yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Nan Goldin in c print, pigment print, archival pigment 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 photography, so small editions measuring 6 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Robert Stivers, Silvia Lareo-Vazquez, and Jack Pierson. Nan Goldin 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 $26,000, while the average work can sell for $12,900.

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