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
Price Upon Request
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
$2,455Sale Price|20% Off
H 18.9 in W 14.97 in D 1.58 in
70s Nightclubs of Chicago South Side - Black woman striptease dancer, Framed
Located in London, GB
"I walked into a timeless place … full of supporting actors and actresses of every conceivable role," Abramson wrote in Light: On the South Side, published by Chicago's Numero Group ...
Glass, Wood, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Silv...
$3,000
H 8 in W 8 in D 0.01 in
Tree and Kussharo Lake, Akan-Mashu Park, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna, 2023
By Michael Kenna
Located in Denton, TX
Tree and Kussharo Lake, Akan-Mashu Park, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna is a 8 x 8 inch* silver gelatin print, available in an edition of 25. *Please note: the measurements of this...
Silver Gelatin
Maserati 250F, Maserati Mechanics, Monza, Italy
By Jesse Alexander
Located in Denton, TX
No Edition Signed in ink on print margin by Jesse Alexander Gelatin silver print, 11 x 14 in. Jesse Alexander is considered one of the greatest race car photographers in history. Hi...
Silver Gelatin
$3,500
H 8 in W 7.75 in D 0.01 in
Distant Trees, Sorachi, Hokkaido, Japan - Black and White Photograph, Landscape
By Michael Kenna
Located in Denton, TX
Distant Trees, Sorachi, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna is a 8 x 7.75 inch* silver gelatin print, available in an edition of 25. *Please note: the measurements of this print are app...
Silver Gelatin
$4,000
H 8 in W 7.5 in D 0.01 in
Jura Forest, Dornach, Switzerland, black and white photograph, silver gelatin
By Michael Kenna
Located in Denton, TX
Jura Forest, Dornach, Switzerland by Michael Kenna presents a dramatic forest scene. The dense forest fades into the background, the fog envelopes the trees. The dark trees frame a p...
Silver Gelatin
$3,000
H 8 in W 7.75 in D 0.07 in
Huangshan Mountains, Study 46, Anhui, China - Minimal Landscape, Sun, Clouds
By Michael Kenna
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 45 Signed, titled, negative date, print date, and numbered by Michael Kenna Sepia toned gelatin silver print, Image size: 8 x 7 3/4 in. Mat size: 20 x 16 in. Michael Ken...
Silver Gelatin
$2,182Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.97 in W 18.9 in D 1.58 in
#114, 1970s Nightclubs of Chicago South Side - Rare Vintage Silver Gelatin Print
Located in London, GB
"Abramson comes much closer to recording the sound of these clubs than we would have any right to expect from a photographer." - Nick Hornby (London, 2009), Light On the South Side, ...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$4,000
H 8 in W 8 in D 0.01 in
Cikisani Kamuy, Study 1, Sorachi, Hokkaido, Japan, by Michael Kenna, 2023
By Michael Kenna
Located in Denton, TX
Cikisani Kamuy, Study 1, Sorachi, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna is a 8 x 8 inch* silver gelatin print, available in an edition of 25. *Ple...
Silver Gelatin
$6,000
H 11 in W 14 in
Jerry Schatzberg - The Day the W*** Came Out to Play Tennis, 1967, Printed After
By Jerry Schatzberg
Located in Stamford, CT
Available Sizes: 11" x 14" $6,000.00 Edition of 25 + 5 AP 16" x 20" $8,000.00 Edition of 25 + 5 AP 20" x 24" $10,000.00 Edition of 20 + 4 AP 30" x 40" $16,000.00 Edition of ...
Silver Gelatin
$2,500
H 8.13 in W 7.5 in D 0.1 in
Empire State Building, Study 2, New York, New York, USA - Black and White Photo
By Michael Kenna
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 45 Signed, titled, dated, print date and numbered. Sepia toned gelatin silver print. Michael Kenna's black and white photographs are powerful and alluring. His imager...
Silver Gelatin
$3,000
H 8 in W 8 in D 0.01 in
Hurep Hill Trees, Esashi, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna, 2023
By Michael Kenna
Located in Denton, TX
Hurep Hill Trees, Esashi, Hokkaido, Japan by Michael Kenna is a 8 x 8 inch* silver gelatin print, available in an edition of 25. *Please note: the measurements of this print are appr...
Silver Gelatin
$2,195Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.97 in W 18.9 in D 1.58 in
1970s Nightclubs of Chicago South Side - Dancer with white scarf, Framed
Located in London, GB
"A camera is a window through which a photographer interacts with the world, and it's up to the operator to decide whether his camera will be a barrier or a mirror between he and his subjects. In the 1970s, Michael Abramson...
Archival Paper, Black and White, Wood, Glass, Photographic Film, Photogr...
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