When Nan Goldin discovered a flourishing drag queen community as an 18-year-old navigating downtown Boston, it would mark the start of her widely influential photography career and lay the foundation of the seminal work that would follow years later — “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency,” an ongoing series of stark, flash-lit snapshots documenting her experiences with the LGBTQ+ scene, most notably during the AIDS epidemic.
Goldin was born in Washington, D.C., but raised in Massachusetts. She left home around age 13 or 14, moved into a commune and attended a free experimental high school called Satya Community School, where she began shooting Polaroids of herself as well as her classmates. She found inspiration in the work of Andy Warhol, Larry Clark, Diane Arbus, Weegee, August Sander and in the glossy pages of French and Italian Vogue. Goldin attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and moved to New York City soon after she graduated.
Goldin was particularly drawn to the avant-garde music scene in Manhattan in the late 1970s and early ’80s, and “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency” would include many photos taken in her newly adopted city. Goldin first exhibited the series at the Whitney Biennial in 1985 before publishing it as a book a year later. In its startling honesty, Goldin’s gripping portraits captured sexual relationships, frank drug use, intimate scenes in the homes of families, partying at bars, domestic violence and the AIDS-related horrors faced by those in the era’s LGBTQ+ community. More than 700 images were featured in exhibitions over the years compared to the book’s 127 portraits.
“‘The Ballad of Sexual Dependency’ is the diary I let people read,” wrote Goldin. “The diary is my form of control over my life. It allows me to obsessively record every detail. It enables me to remember.”
Goldin also felt that the project was autobiographical in a way, though only some of the images were self-portraits. “These were the people I lived with, these were my friends, these were my family, this was myself. I’d photograph people dancing while I was dancing. Or people having sex while I was having sex. Or people drinking while I was drinking. There was no separation between me and what I was photographing,” she told Bomb magazine.
Over the years, Goldin has collaborated with Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and completed projects for Jimmy Choo and Bottega Veneta. While her work has broadened to include New York City skylines, portraiture and commercial fashion photography, her commitment to documentary-style honesty has never wavered. In 2006, as part of Goldin’s "Chasing a Ghost” exhibit in New York City, a presentation was projected on three screens involving videos, photography and a musical collage focused on her older sister, Barbara, who took her own life in 1965.
Among Goldin’s many accolades are her admission to the French Legion of Honor in 2006, the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in 2007 and the Lucie Award in 2014.
Find a collection of original Nan Goldin photography on 1stDibs.
Supreme Nan Goldin skateboard decks: set of 3 works (Nan Goldin Supreme)
By Nan Goldin
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Nan Goldin Supreme Skateboard Decks, 2018 (complete set of 3): – Misty and Jimmy Paulette in a taxi, (NYC 1991) – Kim in Rhinestones, (Paris 1991) – Nan as a Dominatrix (Cambridge MA...
Wood
Nan Goldin Signed & Framed Original Photographic Print, Magnum 2010
By Nan Goldin
Located in London, GB
For sale an original signed, museum-quality, Magnum/Aperture photographic print by renowned American artist NAN GOLDIN. Titled "Sunny at the spa, distortion. L’Hotel, Paris. 2010",...
Aluminum
$3,200 / item
Nan Goldin "Jens' Hand on Clemen's Back, Paris"
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
You can see her work in the permanent collections of The Whitney, The Tate and MoMA. And now, you can hang this powerful photographs on the walls of your own home. "Jens' hand on Cl...
Paper
$214Sale Price|20% Off
H 1.58 in Dm 17.33 in
Pineapple botanical study framed Print from French original of 1812, New
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a delightful round framed print of a Pineapple study originally from a hand coloured early 19th Century French botanical illustration. Prints of this style were originally p...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Ethan Murrow Framed Graphite on Paper Drawing, 2010
Located in San Francisco, CA
The works of Ethan Murrow are beloved by many for his detailed realist/surrealist techniques and their sense of humor. Artist : Ethan Murrow, b. 1975 Titl...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Original Signed Carol Summers "Esperanza " Woodcut Framed
By Carol Summers
Located in Sheridan, CO
Original Signed Carol Summers "Esperanza" Woodcut Framed. Carol Summers (1925-2016) Esperanza, ed. 96/100, 1978 Woodcut in colors on Japon paper 30 x 30 inches (76.2 x 76.2 cm) (shee...
Metal
$1,800
H 32.25 in W 27.3 in D 1.3 in
Christo / The Pont Neuf Wrapped / Project For Paris, 1984 Lithograph
By Nouvelles Images, Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Located in New York, NY
Christo / The Pont Neuf Wrapped / Project for Paris, 1984 / Collage En Deux Partes Offset lithograph in colors on woven paper, published by Nouvelles Ima...
Paper
$273Sale Price|20% Off
H 27.56 in W 19.69 in D 1.58 in
Hummingbirds framed Print from original by Ernst Haeckel Circa 1904, New
By Ernst Heinrich Haeckel
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This stunning print of Hummingbirds references a beautiful print from the 1900s by Ernst Haeckel as per similar pieces; reference Sea anemones and Mosses from Ernst Haeckels Kunstfor...
Glass, Wood, Paper
$1,026 / item
H 32.29 in W 8.67 in D 1.97 in
21st Century Skateboard Marcantonio Wood Inlay Scapin Black
By MARCANTONIO
Located in Tezze sul Brenta, IT
Old Skull Board Old Skull Board/ Life After Life Board è una tavola da skateboard decorativa, disponibile in due varianti colore e con un disegno intarsiato simbolo della continui...
Plywood
'Bolid' Skateboard by Zieta, Collectible Object
By Zieta, Oskar Zieta
Located in Paris, IDF
BOLID Skateboard in polished stainless steel by Zieta This piece is a collectible object designed by Zieta Studio. This is a unique mirrored object and a sculpture: a decorative...
Stainless Steel
'Bolid' Green Skateboard by Zieta, Collectible Object
By Zieta, Oskar Zieta
Located in Paris, IDF
BOLID Skateboard in polished stainless steel, finish: Emerald Green by Zieta This piece is a collectible object designed by Zieta Studio. This is a unique mirrored object and a ...
Stainless Steel
$1,679Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 26.38 in W 20.87 in D 1.38 in
Works of the 1970s China on Italian Paper
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Works of the 1970s China on Italian paper, golden aluminum frame, signed by two authors as signing, the designs are made on a sheet of paper in ink.
Aluminum
Nan Goldin Valérie in the Taxi, Paris Print
Located in New York, NY
You can see her work in the permanent collections of The Whitney, The Tate and MoMA. And now, you can hang this powerful photographs on the walls of your own home. Valerie in the t...
Paper
Hunt Slonem Metallic Signed Rabbit Painting - Original Artist Frame
By Hunt Slonem
Located in North Miami, FL
Metallic silver and gold background with vibrant red bunny outline, framed beautifully. SIGNED and dated 2014 Hunt Slonem is a renowned painter known for producing representationa...
Wood
$5,830
H 27.17 in W 35.24 in D 0.6 in
Super Rare Dutch Corneille 1922 - 2010 Lithograph "Artist Proof" Print 98
By Corneille 1
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this lovely, super rare Lithograph print signed in pencil by the artist Corneille and EA for “épreuve d'artiste,” meaning Artist's Proof in French ...
Pine
Vintage Nan Goldin exhibition poster 1995
By Nan Goldin
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage original 1990s Nan Goldin exhibition poster published on the occasion of: NAN GOLDIN THE BALLAD OF SEXUAL DEPENDENCY AND NEW PHOTOGRAPHS: 4 FEBRUARY TO 16 APRIL 1995 MATTHE...
Paper
Vintage Nan Goldin exhibition poster 1995
By Nan Goldin
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage original 1990s Nan Goldin exhibition poster published on the occasion of: NAN GOLDIN THE BALLAD OF SEXUAL DEPENDENCY AND NEW PHOTOGRAPHS: 4 FEBRUARY TO 16 APRIL 1995 MATTHEW MARKS GALLERY 522 WEST 22ND STREET NEW YORK Offset lithograph. 1995. 17x17 inches. Good overall vintage condition. Minor signs of handling; light wear to fold-lines. Unsigned from an edition of unknown. About Nan Goldin : Photographer Nan Goldin (American, b.1953) grew up in Boston, MA, where she started taking photographs as a teenager as a way of documenting the gay and transsexual communities she had been introduced to by her close friend and fellow photographer David Armstrong. In these early works, she maintained a particular focus on images of drag queens, which continued as a powerful motif throughout her work. She attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where she began creating a body of work that would later form the basis of her most well-known project, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency. Related Categories: NAN GOLDIN PHOTOGRAPH, VINTAGE GALLERY POSTER...
Paper
Signed & Framed Original Nan Goldin Magnum Print, 2010
By Nan Goldin
Located in London, GB
For sale an original signed museum-quality Magnum/Aperture photographic print by renowned American artist NAN GOLDIN. Titled "Sunny at the spa, distortion. L’Hotel, Paris. 2010", t...
Paper
Signed Nan Goldin Magnum Photographic Print, 1992
By Nan Goldin
Located in London, GB
For sale an original signed museum-quality Magnum/Aperture 6x6 photographic print by renowned American artist NAN GOLDIN. Titled "C and So competing for the Oscar, Second Tip, Bangkok, 1992", this Magnum print is a time-limited edition that was only available to purchase for a period of five days. The work is signed to the back together with an affixed archival label which carries the image’s accompanying text and is printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Matte paper. The piece is mounted in a white lacquered frame. The accompanying text by the artist reads: "The transgender rights movement has been a crucial part of the ongoing street protests. I feel lucky to have lived long enough to have witnessed this sea change in visibility and acceptance of Trans people in our culture. In the early ’90s, I traveled to Bangkok to photograph the world of queens known as ‘ladyboys.’ Second Tip was their home and sanctuary. Every week, they held lavishly produced beauty contests, wearing showgirl costumes...
Paper
Signed & Framed Nan Goldin Magnum Photographic Print, 1990
By Nan Goldin
Located in London, GB
For sale an original limited edition signed museum-quality Magnum/Aperture 6x6 photographic print by renowned American artist NAN GOLDIN. Titled "Drugs on the Rug. New York City, USA, 2016", this Magnum print...
Paper
Signed Nan Goldin Magnum Photographic Print, 1992
By Nan Goldin
Located in London, GB
For sale an original limited edition signed museum-quality Magnum/Aperture 6x6 photographic print by renowned American artist NAN GOLDIN. Titled "C and So competing for the Oscar, Second Tip, Bangkok, 1992", this Magnum print was a time limited edition The work is signed to the back together with an affixed archival label which carries the image’s accompanying text and is printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Matte paper. The piece is mounted in a white lacquered frame. The accompanying text by the artist reads: "The transgender rights movement has been a crucial part of the ongoing street protests. I feel lucky to have lived long enough to have witnessed this sea change in visibility and acceptance of Trans people in our culture. In the early ’90s, I traveled to Bangkok to photograph the world of queens known as ‘ladyboys.’ Second Tip was their home and sanctuary. Every week, they held lavishly produced beauty contests, wearing showgirl costumes...
Paper