The exhibition High Noon at Deichtorhallen Hamburg showcases the pioneering works of Nan Goldin, David Armstrong, Mark Morrisroe, and Philip-Lorca diCorcia, on view until May 4, 2025. This is one of the strongest exhibitions of the season, presented in Europe.

Curated by Dr. Sabine Schnakenberg, the exhibition features approximately 150 works from the F.C. Gundlach Collection, which continue to resonate today—shaping both the art world and broader cultural understandings of sexuality, relationships, and identity.

Nan Goldin, David Armstrong, Mark Morrisroe, and Philip-Lorca diCorcia studied photography at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in the late 1970s and early 1980s, beginning their artistic practices during the politically charged Reagan era. As close friends, Goldin, Armstrong, and Morrisroe turned their lenses toward the subcultural bohemia of Boston and New York—scenes in which they were not just observers, but active participants. Like visual diaries, their images document moments ideas of friendship, love, sex, set against the stark realities of violence, addiction, AIDS, and death.

Blending photography with personal perspective and autobiographical elements, the three photographers forged raw, distinct visual languages—each radically different in approach and style—that have reshaped the photographic landscape and remain deeply influential today.

The work of these artists, is marked by a sense of instability and fragility. They reflect an ongoing search for identity. Through intimate portrayals of their peers, they reveal both the beauty and brutality of their world, offering emotional insights into their social and inner lives. The curation is brilliant and the navigation through the space totally logical. It’s a must-see show for visitors travelling to Hamburg, Germany.

Image: Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Marilyn, 28 years old, Las Vegas, Nevada, $30, Las Vegas 1990/1992, Chromogenic Color Print, Haus der Photographie/Sammlung F.C. Gundlach, Hamburg © Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Courtesy of the artist, Sprüth Magers and David Zwirner