174 •
DAVID WOJNAROWICZ (1954-1992)
Rimbaud in New York.
Silver print, the image measuring 177.8x244.5 mm.; 7x9 5/8  inches, the sheet slightly larger. 1978-79.

[3,000/4,000]

From the estate of Brian Butterick.

In this powerful series, Wojnarowicz photographed his friends wearing a lifesize mask of the French poet Arthur Rimbaud (1854-91) in various locations, and performing various acts, around New York City. Representing an exploration of the parallells between Wojnarowicz and Rimbaud, as well as the artist's own identity and biography, the series sets the eerie masked historical figure (watching, acting, but somehow separate from the world he inhabits) in a contemporary setting. Queerness, an underground world, the performance of bodies in public spaces, the passage of time, lonelieness, and history, all figure as themes in this complex and beautiful work.