Peter Hujar demonstrated the same fearlessness in his photography as he did in life. He documented his bohemian lifestyle in New York City in black and white portraits that captured his outsider circle of friends and lovers. Like Robert Mapplethorpe, Nan Goldin and others, Hujar’s work emerged as a particularly crucial vehicle for increasing lesbian and gay visibility. His photography was integral to the fight for LGBTQ rights during the 1960s but he didn't earn wider societal recognition until after his passing.
Hujar was born in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1934. Due to a difficult home life, he was navigating the streets of New York City on his own by the time he was 16 years old. Pursuing photography from a young age, Hujar attended the New York High School of Art and Design in 1953. At the same time, he apprenticed in commercial photography studios. By 1964, he was working as a chief assistant for photographer Harold Krieger.
At his own considerable financial expense, Hujar left the world of commercial photography in 1967 and decided to use his talents to support the burgeoning LGBTQ rights movement. He was present at the Stonewall riots in 1969, and his iconic photo Come out! was featured in a 1970 poster for the Gay Liberation Front. Hujar also took intimate photos of counterculture figures in Manhattan throughout the 1970s, from partying drag queens to queer intellectuals. Some of his most famous images were of his friend and lover David Wojnarowicz.
In the early 1980s, Hujar stepped into a mentor role to up-and-coming artists like Gary Schneider, Nan Goldin and Kiki Smith. While he felt that his own work was underappreciated, he was happy to champion the work of the next generation.
Hujar passed away from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1987 in New York City. His work was posthumously celebrated, and his first retrospective was held in 1994 at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
Hujar's photographs have since been exhibited all over the United States and Europe. In 2020, Pace Gallery held an online exhibit called “Peter Hujar: Cruising Utopia,” which featured a selection of both his famous and lesser-known works.
Find original Peter Hujar photography on 1stDibs.
Peter Hujar, "Diane B. in Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Monkey Dress", 1987
By Peter Hujar
Located in Catonvielle, FR
Peter Hujar (1934-1987), original bromoil silver print titled "Diane B. in Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Monkey Dress", dated 1984, printed in 1987. Signed and...
Paper
Wreck with Shattered Window
By Peter Hujar
Located in New York, NY
This early print of this image was made in 1980. It is titled, signed and stamped on verso, by the Executor of the Hujar Estate.
Silver Gelatin
1960, Système des tours, Paris, Jean Ribière
By Jean Ribière
Located in Perpignan, FR
Jean Ribière, renowned photographer, was National Vice President of the A.N.J.R.P.C. (National Association of Journalists Reporters Photographers and Filmmakers), whose President was Robert Doisneau and the main members Henri Cartier-Bresson and Raymond Depardon.
Paper
$2,250
H 14 in W 11 in
Kate #3, Gelatin Silver Photograph, Signed, 11x14, Female Nude Art
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
Freed captures the playfulness and sensuality of a very self-possessed young woman in Kate #3, 2002 in the photographer's Female nude series "Kate." This is an 11" x 14" gelatin silv...
Silver Gelatin, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
$4,444
H 24 in W 20 in
Fire Hydrant, Harlem, New York 1960s, Gelatin Silver Photograph, Signed, 24x20
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
Punctuated by documentary photo essays such as Black in White America, Fire Hydrant is one of Leonard Freed's most iconic in the Harlem, New York series. Two children enjoy a blissf...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
1960, Photography Jean Ribière
By Jean Ribière
Located in Perpignan, FR
Staircase of the futuristic Royan Cathedral, circa 1960 100 x 100 cm / limited and numbered edition n°1/12 Digigraphy print on textured cotton fineart paper 320 gr. Certification: Signed and numbered by hand. Frame: Black wood Colour: Black and white Jean Ribière...
Paper
1970 Photography Jean Ribière
By Jean Ribière
Located in Perpignan, FR
Façade of the "honeycomb" building in Chamonix, circa 1970. 100 x 100 cm / limited and numbered edition n°1/12 Digigraphy print on textured cotton fineart paper 320 gr. Certification: Signed and numbered by hand. Frame: Black wood Color: Black and white Jean Ribière...
Paper
$7,500
H 11 in W 14 in
New York City, 1977 - Elliott Erwitt (Black and White Photography)
By Elliott Erwitt
Located in London, GB
New York City, 1977 - Elliott Erwitt (Black and White Photography) Signed, inscribed with title and dated on accompanying artist’s label Silver gelatin print, printed later Availabl...
Silver Gelatin
1970 Photography Jean Ribière
By Jean Ribière
Located in Perpignan, FR
Stairs of the sands Port - Barcares, circa 1970. 100 x 100 cm / limited and numbered edition n°1/12 Digigraphy print on textured cotton fineart paper 320 gr. Certification: Signed and numbered by hand. Frame: Black wood Color: Black and white Jean Ribière...
Paper
$463Sale Price|20% Off
H 35.04 in W 25.2 in D 0.2 in
GIANNI VERSACE Poster created by Mimmo Rotella for Mostra Dialogue du Mode, 1987
By Gianni Versace, Mimmo Rotella
Located in Milano, IT
Rara Locandina by Gianni Versace created by Mimmo Rotella for the exhibition held at the Palais Galliera, Musèe de la Mode et du Costume, in Paris. 198...
Paper
1970 Photography Jean Ribière
By Jean Ribière
Located in Perpignan, FR
Staircase of the "Fada" Le Corbusier Marseille - Cité Radieuse, circa 1970. 100 x 100 cm / limited and numbered edition n°1/12 Digigraphy pr...
Paper
$1,500
H 8 in W 10 in
Italy, Beach, Black and White Photography 1980s by Leonard Freed
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
Beach, Italy, 1984 by Leonard Freed is an 8" x 10" black and white photograph, a gelatin silver RC press print from the Freed archive, signed verso (on back of photograph) by the photographer. Provenance: Freed Estate Leonard Freed discovered Little Italy in New York...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
1970, Photography Jean Ribière
By Jean Ribière
Located in Perpignan, FR
Aillaud Nanterre towers, circa 1970. Measures: 100 x 100 cm / limited and numbered edition n°1/12 Digigraphy print on textured cotton Fine Art paper 320 gr. Certification: Signed and numbered by hand. Frame: Black wood Color: Black and white Jean Ribière Biography: Jean Ribière, a renowned photographer, was national vice-president of the ANJRPC (National Association of Journalists, Reporters, Photographers and Filmmakers), whose president was Robert Doisneau and whose main members were Henri Cartier - Bresson and Raymond Depardon. On his death in 1989, he bequeathed to his daughter, Hélène Tabes, 120,000 photographic documents (90,000 black - and - white negatives, 30,000 slides and about 2,000 prints), as well as 150 texts of documentary reports on the period 1941 - 1989. Born in Niort on 9 February 1922, Jean Ribière began his career in the photo department of the newspaper L'Indépendant des Pyrénées Orientales in 1940. In 1944, he married Micheline Vialle, also a journalist. Jean, an excellent photographer and Micheline, a great reporter, decided to create their own press agency "Ribière Presse Photo". They soon sold their reports to more than a hundred French and foreign newspapers and magazines: L'Express, l'Aurore, Match, BBC London ... Gallery Clement Cividino...
Paper
$2,777
H 20 in W 16 in
Trinity Church Wall Street, New York, Black and White Gelatin Photograph, 20x16
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
Trinity Church, Wall Street, 1995 by Leonard Freed is a 20" x 16" black and white gelatin silver photograph. The urban landscape photograph captures Freed's interest in New York City architecture, a city he loved, as well as reveals the photographer's masterful techniques in using light...
Silver Gelatin, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
New York: Sixth Avenue
By Peter Hujar
Located in New York, NY
This black and white photograph by Peter Hujar depicts a series of large skyscrapers in midtown Manhattan. New York: Sixth Avenue 1976 Signed in ink, verso Gelatin silver print 2...
Silver Gelatin
Clown’s Trunk (Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus)
By Peter Hujar
Located in New York, NY
Clown’s Trunk (Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus) 1973 Signed, verso Vintage gelatin silver print 18.75 x 16 inches, sheet 15.25 x 15.37...
Silver Gelatin
Hallway–Canal Street Pier
By Peter Hujar
Located in New York, NY
Hallway–Canal Street Pier 1983 Estate stamped in black ink, verso; also signed, titled, dated by estate in graphite, verso Vintage gelatin silver print ...
Silver Gelatin
Reggie's Dog: Bouche Walker
By Peter Hujar
Located in New York, NY
Peter Hujar Reggie's Dog: Bouche Walker, 1981 Gelatin silver print 14 3/4 x 14 3/4 inches (image) 19 3/4 x 16 inches (sheet) 22 3/4 x 22 3/4 inches (frame) Stamped by the artist's es...
Silver Gelatin
Portrait of Poet Anne Waldman
By Peter Hujar
Located in New York, NY
Vintage gelatin silver print Signed in black ink, l.r. 20 x 16 inches, sheet 15 x 15 inches, image This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
Silver Gelatin
David Wojnarowicz’s Wall Drawing at Pier 34
By Peter Hujar
Located in New York, NY
Vintage gelatin silver print Signed, verso Artist's studio stamp, verso This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. This is an image of the “Pier 34” show. Guerrilla art shows that took place in unused City of NY buildings such as the “Real Estate Show,” or the “Times Square Show” that was held in an abandoned massage parlor, are examples of art collectives creating alternatives to the staid, exclusionary spaces of museums and galleries. They took the concept a step further with shows that were intentionally disposable, often leaving the artwork behind to be destroyed with the condemned buildings. The “Pier 34” show, organized by David Wojnarowicz and Mike Bidlo...
Silver Gelatin