Ausstellungseröffnung: Peter Hujar. Eyes Open in the Dark

In the organizer's words:

The photographer Peter Hujar (1934-1987) was a central figure in the New York downtown scene of the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1950s, Hujar studied photography at the School of Industrial Arts of Manhattan. After giving up commercial photography, he led a financially precarious life with only occasional exhibitions.

Peter Hujar's main interest was portrait photography - he photographed his friends, lovers, people from his surroundings with an impressive intimacy and emotional depth. In his works, which also include animal, landscape and architectural motifs, Hujar repeatedly shows himself to be a sensitive chronicler of a time of social upheaval and radical sexual change.

I photograph those who push themselves to their limits and people who hold on to the freedom to be themselves." - Peter Hujar

The exhibition focuses on Hujar's work since the 1970s and reflects his exploration of the possibilities of relationships within grids. It was curated by Hujar's biographer John Douglas Millar and his friend Gary Schneider in close collaboration with the photographer's estate.

When Hujar died of AIDS-related pneumonia, his work was largely unknown. Today, however, Peter Hujar is one of the most important photographers of the second half of the 20th century.

The exhibition was originally organized by Raven Row with thanks to the Peter Hujar Foundation.