Untitled, NYC by Joel Peter Witkin

One of the most provocative photographers of the last 30 years, Witkin’s work has remained at the forefront of celebrating the macabre, making beautiful photographs using antiquated methods. He creates a world filled with disfigured bodies in elaborate allegorical tableaus that never cease to engage and repulse.

With his own morality a central theme in his work, Witkin references a rich collection of sources from literature, mythology, the art of the Renaissance and the baroque. Often there are homages to works from artists such as Caravaggio, Courbet, Dali, Max Earnst, Seurat and others.

This 8”x10” gelatin silver photograph is an early work of his, made while he earned his BFA from Cooper Union on the G.I. Bill. Although not as fantastical as his later work became, it certainly illustrates his quest for drama. The print is signed and dated by Witkin, and was reported to have been printed in an edition of 150, as a fundraising effort, so it is priced much less than his later work. PROVENANCE: Purchased from a San Francisco gallery in the 1980’s by a photographer/collector who moved to Toronto.