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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Period: 1980s
Artist: Nan Goldin
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
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.
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Category
1980s Conceptual Nan Goldin Photography
Materials
C Print
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
![Bobby masturbating, New York City [Bobby at home]](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/nan-goldin-photography-bobby-masturbating-new-york-city-bobby-at-home-for-sale/a_9323/a_36927921544805285280/Goldin_Bobby_Masturbating_artnet_master.jpg?width=240 "james bidgood")
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Throughout her career, Goldin has photographer herself from all chapters of her life. Several of her most haunting images are documents of her appearance after withstanding domestic abuse, but she also captures moments of joy and personal introspection.
Goldin's record of her life is colored with loss, violence and ecstasy, especially during the 1980s. Many of her friends and lovers were part of the first generation of AIDS victims.
The 1990s market a new chapter in Goldin's practice. As her career began to gain momentum she received a DAAD grant from the German government for an extended stay in Berlin. Finding a community in bohemian Berlin, she spent nearly three years in the city. "The best years of my life were here in Berlin," the artist stated.
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Goldin's images of interiors, typically of bedrooms or other intimate, personal spaces are an impressive but easily overlooked component of her oeuvre. Here in this Egglestonston-like bathroom, Goldin makes an appearance. Her glowing complexion, red lips and curly hair are in striking contrast to the sleek blue-tiled interior.
This quietly optimistic self-portrait, representative of Goldin's happier years, can be found in the permanent collections of the Städel Museum, Frankfurt, the Foto Museum (Winterthur, Switzerland) and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.
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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.