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Nan Goldin Color Photography

American, b. 1953

When Nan Goldin discovered a flourishing drag queen community as an 18-year-old navigating downtown Boston, it would mark the start of her widely influential photography career and lay the foundation of the seminal work that would follow years later — “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency,” an ongoing series of stark, flash-lit snapshots documenting her experiences with the LGBTQ+ scene, most notably during the AIDS epidemic.

Goldin was born in Washington, D.C., but raised in Massachusetts. She left home around age 13 or 14, moved into a commune and attended a free experimental high school called Satya Community School, where she began shooting Polaroids of herself as well as her classmates. She found inspiration in the work of Andy Warhol, Larry Clark, Diane Arbus, Weegee, August Sander and in the glossy pages of French and Italian Vogue. Goldin attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and moved to New York City soon after she graduated.

Goldin was particularly drawn to the avant-garde music scene in Manhattan in the late 1970s and early ’80s, and “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency” would include many photos taken in her newly adopted city. Goldin first exhibited the series at the Whitney Biennial in 1985 before publishing it as a book a year later. In its startling honesty, Goldin’s gripping portraits captured sexual relationships, frank drug use, intimate scenes in the homes of families, partying at bars, domestic violence and the AIDS-related horrors faced by those in the era’s LGBTQ+ community. More than 700 images were featured in exhibitions over the years compared to the book’s 127 portraits.

“‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency’ is the diary I let people read,” wrote Goldin. “The diary is my form of control over my life. It allows me to obsessively record every detail. It enables me to remember.”

Goldin also felt that the project was autobiographical in a way, though only some of the images were self-portraits. “These were the people I lived with, these were my friends, these were my family, this was myself. I’d photograph people dancing while I was dancing. Or people having sex while I was having sex. Or people drinking while I was drinking. There was no separation between me and what I was photographing,” she told Bomb magazine.

Over the years, Goldin has collaborated with Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and completed projects for Jimmy Choo and Bottega Veneta. While her work has broadened to include New York City skylines, portraiture and commercial fashion photography, her commitment to documentary-style honesty has never wavered. In 2006, as part of Goldin’s "Chasing a Ghost” exhibit in New York City, a presentation was projected on three screens involving videos, photography and a musical collage focused on her older sister, Barbara, who took her own life in 1965.

Among Goldin’s many accolades are her admission to the French Legion of Honor in 2006, the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in 2007 and the Lucie Award in 2014.

Find a collection of original Nan Goldin photography on 1stDibs.

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Artist: Nan Goldin
Siobhan with Cat
By Nan Goldin
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Nan Goldin (b. 1953) is unquestionably one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. She began her career in the 1970s taking candid shots of her friends and lovers...
Category

1990s Contemporary Nan Goldin Color Photography

Materials

C Print

Pink sky from airplane
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Nan Goldin Pink sky from airplane 2000 Cibachrome 30 x 40 inches; 76 x 102 cm Edition of 15 Signed, titled, dated, and numbered in ink (verso) Available f...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Nan Goldin Color Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, C Print

Apocalyptic Sky over Manhattan, NYC
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Nan Goldin Apocalyptic Sky over Manhattan, NYC, 2001 Cibachrome 27 1/4 x 40 inches (image) 28 1/4 x 41 inches (frame) AP 1, Edition of 15 Signed verso on label Black painted wood fr...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Nan Goldin Color Photography

Materials

Color

Self-portrait in party hat, New Year's Eve, "Renaissance, " Malibu
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Cibachrome print Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed, verso This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Nan Goldin Color Photography

Materials

Color

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Nan Goldin color photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Nan Goldin color photography available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of color photography to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of pink, yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Nan Goldin in c print, film, photographic film and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Nan Goldin color photography, so small editions measuring 40 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Elliott Kaufman, James Bidgood, and Monika Merva. Nan Goldin color photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $15,000 and tops out at $26,000, while the average work can sell for $20,500.

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