Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin’s nostalgic snapshots depict intimate moments of bohemian sex, transgression, beauty, spontaneity, and suffering. Her frames are marked by unflinching candor, rich hues, and a keen sense of empathy and lyricism. Goldin’s most famous work, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (1985), is a slideshow that presents nearly 700 images from her life in New York during the 1970s and ’80s; throughout the reel, the artist lies in bed with her lover, drag queens kiss in bars, and the AIDS epidemic ravages the photographer’s community. Recognized as a pioneer of diaristic photography, Goldin has exhibited at the Louvre, the Museum of Modern Art, and Tate Modern, among other prestigious institutions. Her work has sold for six figures at auction. In 2017, Goldin founded the influential organization P.A.I.N., with the goal to hold the Sackler family responsible for their role in the opioid crisis.