Nan Goldin

Key facts

Born

1953, American

Movement

• Impressionism

Works held in

5 museums^[1]

• C.Z. and Max on the Beach, Truro, Massachusetts

  Metropolitan Museum of Art

  New York City, United States

  7 works

  Museum detailsMap

Plan your visit to see Nan Goldin →

• Is nan goldin still alive?+

  Yes, Nan Goldin is still alive (born 1953).
• Nan goldin most famous work?+

  Nan Goldin's diaristic slideshow, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, begun in 1981, is perhaps her most famous work.
• What is nan goldin known for?+

  Nan Goldin is known for taking photographs of drag queens and pre-op transsexuals in the early 1970s.
• What is Nan Goldin's most famous work?+

  Nan Goldin is best known for her slideshow, *The Ballad of Sexual Dependency*. It began as an evolving collection of hundreds of images set to music. The work chronicles the lives and relationships of Goldin's circle, her "re-created family". It offers an intimate view of people sleeping, having sex, or simply relaxing, suggesting narratives of desire and frustration. Goldin uses the juxtaposition of slides with music to clarify her interest in the sexual dynamics within relationships. The work has been presented as a video and was published as a book in 1986. Goldin's photographs reveal her world with a directness that reflects her personal connection to her subjects. They originate from her own life and her need to record it, forming what she describes as a "diary" rather than a planned study. Another significant body of work is *The Other Side: 1972-92*, published in 1993. This collection evolved from photographs taken in the early 1970s while living with drag queens in Boston and frequenting The Other Side, a drag bar. These photographs share similar concerns to those explored in *The Ballad of Sexual Dependency*.
• What should I know about Nan Goldin's prints?+

  When considering Nan Goldin's prints, bear in mind that the art market uses specific terms to describe photographs depending on when they were printed. A 'vintage print' means the photograph was printed around the time the negative was taken. A 'period print' is one made within roughly 10 to 15 years of the shooting. If a print date is unknown, or more than 15 years after the shot, it is termed an 'old print'. Anything recently printed from the original negative is a 'modern print'. An 'original print' is one the artist made or directly supervised. A 'facsimile' is a print made by re-photographing a print, or from the original negative, using print base and processing as close as possible to a vintage print. Photographs can be robust if properly cared for, but they are subject to issues like foxing, creasing, and UV degradation. Yellowing can occur in gelatin silver prints due to the nature of the paper, oxidising agents, poor washing, or excessive humidity. Redox spots, small reddish spots, can also appear.
• What style or movement did Nan Goldin belong to?+

  Nan Goldin is associated with the Pictures Generation, a loose group of artists working from the 1970s onward. This cohort, which included figures like Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, and Richard Prince, explored themes of representation, mass media, and the constructed nature of identity. Goldin's work shares some common ground with the Pictures Generation, particularly its engagement with photography as a tool for examining social and personal realities. However, Goldin's approach is distinct. While the Pictures Generation often employed appropriation and staged imagery to critique media culture, Goldin's photography is more diaristic and intimate. She documented her own life and the lives of her friends, often focusing on marginalised communities and subcultures. Her frank depictions of sexuality, drug use, and the AIDS crisis set her apart from the more detached, conceptual approach of some Pictures Generation artists. Goldin's work has been linked to documentary photography and snapshot aesthetics, yet her subjective perspective and emotional intensity differentiate her from traditional documentary practices.
• What techniques or materials did Nan Goldin use?+

  Nan Goldin is known for photographic work that documents subcultures and intimate personal moments. She is associated with the "snapshot aesthetic"; her pictures often have a casual, immediate quality. Goldin began using a 35mm camera in the 1970s. This small format allowed her to be mobile and capture spontaneous images. She often used available light, which contributed to the sometimes grainy or imperfect look of her photographs. This aesthetic choice was deliberate, as she aimed to capture the reality of the moment without artificial enhancement. Many of Goldin's photographs are presented in slideshow format, often accompanied by music. This method of presentation adds a narrative dimension to her work, turning a collection of individual images into a more complete story. The slideshows became an important part of her artistic expression, allowing viewers to experience the work in a temporal and emotional way. Goldin also publishes her photographs in book form, further disseminating her personal and social narratives.
• What was Nan Goldin known for?+

  Nan Goldin (born 1953) is an American photographer associated with intimate, personal photojournalism. She is best known for her 1985 slideshow, later a book, *The Ballad of Sexual Dependency*. This work documents the post-punk subculture and Goldin's own life in New York City during the late 1970s and 1980s. Goldin's photography often explores themes of gender, sexuality, drug use, and relationships. Her images are characterised by their raw, unfiltered aesthetic and their focus on marginalised communities. She frequently photographs her friends and lovers, creating a visual diary of her life and social circle. Goldin's work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide. She has also published several other books of photographs, including *Cookie Mueller* (1991), a biography of the actress and writer, and *The Beautiful Smile* (2008), a collection of portraits. Her unflinching portrayal of personal experience has had a considerable effect on contemporary photography and portraiture.
• When did Nan Goldin live and work?+

  Nan Goldin was born in Washington, D.C., in 1953. She is an American photographer known for her intimate and personal documentary-style photography. Her career began in the 1970s, a period during which she lived and worked in New York City. She documented the post-punk, new wave music scene, the LGBT subculture, and the heroin-addict community. Goldin's work from this time captures the raw emotion and experiences of her friends and herself. One of her most recognised works is "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency" (1986), a slideshow of photographs set to music. It portrays love, addiction, violence, and friendship within her social circle. This work cemented her position as a significant figure in contemporary photography. Goldin continues to work, addressing themes of identity, sexuality, and the opioid crisis. Her photographs have been exhibited in major museums and galleries worldwide, solidifying her place in art history.
• When did nan goldin start photography?+

  Nan Goldin started photographing at fifteen.
• Where can I see Nan Goldin's work?+

  Nan Goldin's photographs are held in numerous public collections. These include the Tate Modern in London; the Museum of Modern Art^[2], the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art^[4] in New York; the Centre Pompidou in Paris; and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Major survey exhibitions of Goldin's work have been mounted at institutions around the world. Recent examples include "Nan Goldin: This Will Not End Well" at the Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2023), which then travelled to the Nationalgalerie, Berlin; the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin. In 2022, the Marian Goodman Gallery in New York presented "Kiss the Moon," an exhibition of new and unseen photographs. Smaller selections of Goldin's images are often included in group shows that explore themes of gender, sexuality, community, and portraiture. Check the websites of major museums and galleries for current exhibition schedules. You can also find her work at commercial galleries that represent her.
• Where was Nan Goldin from?+

  Nan Goldin was born in Washington, D.C., in 1953. Her early life was marked by the suicide of her older sister, Barbara, in 1965; this event had a significant impact on Goldin and her later work. She began exploring photography in the late 1960s, attending the Satyr Film School, a progressive alternative school in Lincoln, Massachusetts. There, she was taught by photographers who encouraged experimentation. Goldin's early influences included the work of Diane Arbus, and the social documentary photography of the period. In the 1970s, Goldin moved to Boston, where she became involved in the city's counter-culture scene. She documented the lives of her friends and acquaintances, many of whom were part of the LGBTQ+ community. This work formed the basis of her most well-known project, *The Ballad of Sexual Dependency*, a slideshow of photographs accompanied by music. This project, first exhibited in 1981, captured intimate moments of love, loss, and addiction.