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.
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
Happy Marilyn (1956) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Happy Marilyn (1956) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images) American film star Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962) outside her home at Englefield Green. A...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
'Marlon Brando & Vivien Leigh Smoking On-Set'
Located in London, GB
'Marlon Brando & Vivien Leigh Smoking On-Set' Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh smoking cigarettes on the set of 'A Streetcar Named Desire,' 1951....
Silver Gelatin
Interviewing Grace (1956) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Interviewing Grace (1956) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Bob Harrow/Express/Getty Images) May 1956: American actress Grace Kelly (1929 - 1982) being interviewed by journali...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Jumping A Hurdle (1886) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Jumping A Hurdle (1886) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Eadweard J. Muybridge/George Eastman Museum/Getty Images). Jumping a hurdle; saddle; bay horse, Daisy, between 1884 a...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Marilyn Monroe (1956) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Marilyn Monroe (1956) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images) London, England, 1956, American actress Marilyn Monroe is pictured at a press reception at th...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Jazz Dancers (1949) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Jazz Dancers (1949) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Charles Hewitt/Picture Post /Hulton Archive/Getty Images) A series of images showing Britis...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
1st Class Travel (1934) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
1st Class Travel (1934) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images) September 1934: Mrs C Wylds behind the wheel with her pet pig at Terling in Essex. Additional...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Sunny Day (1980) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Stockings (1946) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Moore/Evening Standard/Getty Images) 12th May 1980: Model Lynne reflected in corocraft sunglasses. Additional Information:...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$1,200
H 40 in W 40 in
Marilyn Monroe In A Bikini (1951) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Marilyn Monroe In A Bikini (1951) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images) American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962) posing on a rooftop circa 1951. ...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Cafe De Flore (1948) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Cafe De Flore (1948) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) Additional Information: Unframed Paper S...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
Swan In A Car (1936) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Swan In A Car (1936) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images) 6th April 1936: A tame swan named Leila is given a lift in the back of a car. Additional Info...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$795
H 30 in W 30 in
Steptoe And A Beatle (1964) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print- Paul McCartney
Located in London, GB
Steptoe And A Beatle (1964) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by Kaye/Express/Getty Images) 5th April 1964: Beatle Paul McCartney at Marylebone, London with Wilfrid Brambell (1...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
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