Peter Hujar's Contact Sheets On View At Morgan Library

(MENAFN- USA Art News) More than 110 contact sheets and 20 enlargements from the extensive collection of photographer Peter Hujar are now on display at the Morgan Library and Museum in an exhibition titled“Hujar:Contact.” The institution holds over 5,700 contact sheets from throughout Hujar's career.

Peter Hujar ( 1934–1987 ) began meticulously documenting his work by filing contact sheets and assigning job numbers at the age of 21. These records offer insight into his artistic progression, from his two decades as a studio assistant between 1955 and 1967, when he explored various types of photography, to his freelance work in fashion, music, and advertising in the late 1960s. His mature period, spanning 1974 to 1987, saw him emerge as a fiercely independent and influential artist in the East Village.

Many of the contact sheets feature Hujar's editing marks, which reveal his considerations for cropping and printing and provide context for the exposures he ultimately chose to enlarge. The exhibition highlights the intense, interactive quality of his portraiture, presenting contact sheets that function as intimate pictorial narratives and showcasing his unique attention to subjects. The collection collectively traces Hujar's life, struggles, and the evolving character of his social circles from the 1950s through the 1980s, narrating a nuanced story of an era and a community.

Source: Hyperallergic

MENAFN01092026005694012507ID1111609778