Peter Hujar at Raven Row

Peter Hujar portrayed his subjects with deep sensitivity and striking psychological nuance. His work is now the subject of a major exhibition presented at London’s Raven Row space from 30th January to 6 April 2025 titled Eyes Open in the Dark.

A pivotal figure in the downtown New York art scene of the 1970s and early 80s, Hujar’s work was largely overlooked by the broader art world at the time of his death in 1987 from AIDS-related pneumonia. Today, his photography is celebrated for its stark elegance and profound emotional resonance. This exhibition, for instance, follows another major exhibition presented in Venice for the 2024 Biennale.

Hujar’s artistic focus was rooted in portraiture, capturing friends and figures from the downtown scene in his apartment studio, on the streets, or backstage. His subjects also extended to animals, photographed with striking empathy, as well as architectural, landscape, and street photography. Eyes Open in the Dark spotlights his later work, reflecting the creative renewal he experienced after overcoming a period of depression in 1976. The exhibition also explores the darker tones of his photography during the early 1980s as the AIDS epidemic ravaged his community, placing his work in conversation with that of younger artist David Wojnarowicz, another major figure.

Curated by Hujar’s biographer, John Douglas Millar, alongside his close friend and master printer Gary Schneider, and Raven Row director Alex Sainsbury, the exhibition features lifetime prints and newly created prints of lesser-known works. These have been meticulously prepared by Gary Schneider in collaboration with the artist’s Estate, offering a fresh and intimate look at Hujar’s legacy.

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