Peter Hujar's Photos Are All the Rage. He'd Be Shocked.

""One of my aims is to encourage and teach people to work with imagination through the living hand, because there is something pretty wonderful that emanates from the work that the living hand has touched.""

"Hujar's pictures still feel handmade, and alive. Known for his atmospheric and often erotic portraiture, he always floated just outside the mainstream—until, perhaps, now, nearly 40 years after his death."

"Even as they cultivated famous friends in the New York art scene of the '60s and '70s, both retained an aura of mystery and niche appeal."

"Andy offered me everything—including a pathway to success. And yet, the couple resisted these overtures, avoiding the self-promotion that characterized so many in their circle as if it were the plague."

Peter Hujar's earliest exhibition photograph was a 1955 portrait of his English teacher, Daisy Aldan. Known for his atmospheric and erotic portraiture, Hujar's work is experiencing a resurgence nearly 40 years after his death. His photographs, including one featured on the cover of Hanya Yanagihara's novel, are gaining visibility through upcoming exhibitions and adaptations of his life. Hujar and his partner Paul Thek, who were part of the New York art scene, maintained a mysterious aura while photographing notable figures, resisting mainstream self-promotion.

Read at The Atlantic