Catherine Opie and Maggie Nelson Discuss Trauma, Community, and the Artist's Legacy Ahead of Scottish Exhibition
In the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of AnOther Magazine, Maggie Nelson has a deep conversation with photographer Catherine Opie in her LA studio. This chat aligns with Opie's new exhibition, 'Catherine Opie: To Be Seen,' which will be at the National Galleries of Scotland from August 8 to November 1, 2026, after launching at the National Portrait Gallery in London. For the first time, Opie, almost 65, opens up about her childhood sexual abuse, a story she shared for the Getty Research Institute. She discusses how this history shapes her work, like the self-portrait 'Self-Portrait/Cutting' (1993), and reflects on her upbringing, influences, and future projects, including a 'Lesbian Cowboy' series for 2028.
Key facts
- Catherine Opie's exhibition 'Catherine Opie: To Be Seen' runs at the National Galleries of Scotland from 8 August to 1 November 2026.
- The interview was conducted by Maggie Nelson and published in AnOther Magazine's Spring/Summer 2026 issue, marking the magazine's 25th anniversary.
- Opie publicly discusses for the first time her childhood sexual abuse, which she also revealed in her oral history for the Getty Research Institute.
- Opie's 'Self-Portrait/Cutting' (1993) was made in response to the AIDS crisis and community, not personal trauma.
- Opie's father owned a large political campaign collection, including Abraham Lincoln's death ribbon and George Washington's campaign button.
- Opie's ancestor John Opie was a Royal Academician and friend of Sir Joshua Reynolds.
- Opie's new project 'Lesbian Cowboy' will be exhibited in 2028.
- Jane Fonda has encouraged Opie to write a memoir.
- Opie retired from UCLA after serving as chair of the Department of Art for two years.
- Opie's work is represented by Regen Projects, Lehmann Maupin, and Thomas Dane Gallery.
Entities
Artists
- Catherine Opie
- Maggie Nelson
- Harry Dodge
- Karen Finley
- Annie Sprinkle
- Ron Athey
- Louise Bourgeois
- Michelle Tea
- Pat Califia
- Gayle Rubin
- Dorothy Allison
- Allan Sekula
- Douglas Crimp
- Catherine Lord
- Daphne Fitzpatrick
- Pam Gregg
- Julie Burleigh
- Judie Bamber
- Tony Greene
- Peter Galassi
- Greg Crewdson
- Tina Barney
- John Opie
- Eileen Myles
- Joan Didion
- Juergen Teller
- Roni Horn
- Susan Traylor
- Jane Fonda
- Roland Barthes
- Kim Stanley Robinson
- Octavia Butler
- Charles Schulz
- Walt Disney
- Taylor Swift
- Virginia Giuffre
- Frank Barone
- Idexa Stern
- Bill Opie
- Aunt Sue
- Oliver
- Matthew Hale
- Jesse Helms
- Robert Mapplethorpe
- Abraham Lincoln
- George Washington
- Joshua Reynolds
- Holbein
- Nan Goldin
- Jack Pierson
- Wolfgang Tillmans
- Diane Arbus
Institutions
- AnOther Magazine
- National Galleries of Scotland
- National Portrait Gallery, London
- Getty Research Institute
- UCLA
- San Francisco Art Institute
- CalArts
- MoMA
- MASP
- Regen Projects
- Lehmann Maupin
- Thomas Dane Gallery
- The Outcasts
- Michigan Womyn's Music Festival
- Spin magazine
- The New York Times
- Collège de France
- Yale
- Poway High
- American Crayon Company
- O-P Craft
Locations
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco
- New York
- Seneca Falls
- Three Rivers
- California
- Ohio
- Poway
- Sandusky
- London
- Scotland
- Paris
- Washington
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- Vatican
- São Paulo
- Durham
- North Carolina