Daily Newsletter
Also, Coco Fusco asks: Where is Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara?
Peter Hujar never intended for his contact sheets to be publicly displayed. However, an exhibition at the Morgan Library and Museum in Manhattan invites us to closely examine the remnants from the photographer’s darkroom, complete with a magnifying glass. Julia Curl reflects on the significance of viewing Hujar’s contact sheets as “excerpts of a conversation,” which encapsulated his approach to portraiture and photography.
In the opinion section, Coco Fusco highlights the plight of Cuban performance artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, whose whereabouts remain unknown after his unjust five-year imprisonment concluded on Thursday.
This edition also revisits the Louvre heist, explores how album covers influence music perception, and more.
—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor
Should We See Peter Hujar’s Contact Sheets?
The Morgan Library & Museum might be capitalizing on its Peter Hujar collection, but there are no complaints here. Hujar:Contact marks the Morgan’s second solo exhibition of the photographer’s work, following its acquisition of his archive in 2013 and a comprehensive 2018 retrospective, Peter Hujar: Speed of Life. That exhibition set a high bar, given its scale and the significant impact it had, positioning Hujar as a pivotal portraitist of New York City’s emerging queer art scene. Despite this, dedicating an entire exhibition to a photographer’s contact sheets, which are typically not meant for public viewing, is indeed a bold choice. | Julia Curl
Read More
Through insightful interviews and archival research, Black Curators Matter captures the voices and visionaries who transformed American museums from the 1970s to today.
News
- After months of minimal communication, two suspects in pre-trial detention have disclosed details about their involvement in orchestrating the Louvre Museum jewelry heist that astonished the world last October.
- Following the arrest of a man who scaled and defaced a notable Melbourne bridge with a cartoon bird named “Pam the Bird,” thousands have urged the city to preserve the graffiti artwork.
Features
Opinions
From Our Critics
The Album Art Music Left Behind
Two projects delve into the visual art and design that influence our music experience, from Raymond Pettibon’s Foo Fighters album covers to the memorabilia of bygone bands. | Divya Mehra
Read More
Indie Film From the Global Majority: BlackStar Celebrates 15 Years of Cinema for Liberation
The world’s most significant and groundbreaking filmmakers of color will gather to showcase their work in Philadelphia August 6-9.
Learn more
From the Archive
