Peter Hujar

Portraits in Life and Death

Portraits in Life and Death. Photographs by Peter Hujar. Introduction by Susan Sontag. Da Capo Press, New York, 1976. Unpaged. First edition. Softcover. Good Plus.  

The only book published in his lifetime, Portraits in Life and Death consists portrays a cross-section of Hujar's artist-writer-performer-musician friends who populated downtown NY's art, literary and music scenes circa '74-'75. Following these portraits are photographs that he had taken in Sicily some ten years earlier in the Roman Catholic catacombs beneath Palermo. Sontag's introduction (she appears on p. 27) describes subjects that "appear to meditate on their own mortality. The Palermo photographs - which precede these portraits in time - complete them, comment upon them." Within ten years many of the people photographed, as well as Hujar himself, would die from AIDS-related complications. Garnering mostly critical acclaim in his time, Hujar was a huge influence on Robert Mapplethorpe, Nan Goldin, and others who went onto record 'alternative lifestyles' from deeply personal and subjective points of view.

29 portraits of creative people "...ranging from William Burroughs and Susan Sontag to Larry Ree....and T.C., the exotic dancer"...."Following the portraits come eleven images that can only be described as devastating..."

Good Plus. Light wear to the covers. Tear along the spine about 2 inches long beginning at the bottom edge. Some minor creasing to the covers. Few scratches and light scuffing to the covers. Internally, very good. The photographs are clean and bright. Binding is sound. Light tanning. 

Scarce.