Peter Hujar's Contact Sheets Reveal Intimate Portrait of New York at Morgan Library
The exhibition "Hujar: Contact" at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York explores the life and artistic journey of photographer Peter Hujar (1934–1987). Showcasing over 110 contact sheets and 20 enlargements from a collection exceeding 5,700 sheets, the exhibit follows Hujar's path from his beginnings as a studio assistant (1955–67) to his freelance endeavors in fashion, music, and advertising during the late 1960s, culminating in his influential work in the East Village from 1974 to 1987. The contact sheets, many annotated with editing notes, reveal Hujar's choices in cropping and printing, offering a personal glimpse into his dynamic portrait style and the distinct characters of his subjects. The exhibition also reflects the evolving social fabric of New York from the 1950s to the 1980s, weaving a rich narrative of a lifetime, community, and era. More details can be found at themorgan.org.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Hujar:Contact' at the Morgan Library and Museum
- Features over 110 contact sheets and 20 enlargements
- Morgan Library's collection includes over 5,700 contact sheets by Peter Hujar
- Peter Hujar lived from 1934 to 1987
- Hujar began filing contact sheets at age 21
- He worked as a studio assistant from 1955 to 1967
- His mature period as an independent artist in the East Village was from 1974 to 1987
- Contact sheets show editing marks indicating cropping and printing ideas
Entities
Artists
- Peter Hujar
- Jackie Curtis
- Andy Warhol
- Paul Thek
- David Wojnarowicz
- Robert Wilson
- Richard Avedon
- George Platt Lynes
- Robert Mapplethorpe
- Joseph Raffael
- Brigid Berlin
- Maxime de la Falaise
- John McKendry
- Loulou de la Falaise
- Diana Vreeland
- Susan Sontag
- Marsha P. Johnson
- Fran Lebowitz
- Vince Aletti
- Stephen Koch
- Bette Bourne
- Jill Johnston
- Daisy Aldan
- Tallulah Bankhead
- Harold Krieger
- Marvin Israel
- Rose Murphy
- Joseph John Hujar
- Ed (Snookie) Murphy
- Robert Bresson
- Philip Larkin
- Elizabeth Bishop
- Corey Tippin
- Twiggy
- Joel Smith
- Patti Smith
- Candy Darling
- John Zorn
- Ethyl Eichelberger
- Diane Arbus
- Irving Penn
- Ann Wilson
- Jim Fouratt
- Gene Swenson
- Fayette
- Rick Derringer
- Robyn Brentano
- S. K. Dunn
- Charles Dennis
- Philip Glass
- John Waters
- Marcus Bunyan
- Loring Knoblauch
- Marina Vitaglione
- Olivia McCall
- Colin B. Bailey
Institutions
- Morgan Library and Museum
- Morgan Library & Museum
- La Mama
- School of Industrial Art
- New York University
- New Times magazine
- Vogue
- The New Yorker
- Capuchin Catacombs
- Gay Liberation Front
- Cockettes
- Bloolips
- Peter Hujar Collection
- Fraenkel Gallery
- Ortuzar
- Artists Rights Society
- The Peter Hujar Archive
- Stable Gallery
- Byrd Hoffman School of Byrds
- The Cockettes
- Anderson Theatre
- New Times
- Newspaper
- Collector Daily
- Art Blart
- MACK
- Charina Endowment Fund
- The New York Times
- The Morgan Library & Museum
- New York Art Life
Locations
- New York
- United States
- New York City
- Trenton
- New Jersey
- Ewing Township
- Manhattan
- East Thirty-second Street
- 189 Second Avenue
- Christopher Street Pier
- Palermo
- Italy
- Florence
- Coral Gables
- Florida
- San Francisco
- California
- London
- United Kingdom
- Fire Island
- Long Island
- Caven Point
- Sicily
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
- Queens
- Newark
- Madison Square
- East Village
- 10 East 23rd Street
- Christopher Street