Nan Goldin (b. 1953) is unquestionably one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. She began her career in the 1970s taking candid shots of her friends and lovers, often comprised of characters living on the margins of society. Her intimate images put emphasis on her subject’s individuality, infusing them with dignity and empathy rather than their sexuality or otherness.
“Jimmy Paulette and Taboo! Undressing” is a paradigm of Goldin’s work from the early 1990s, celebrating the glamour, beauty, and comradery of the New York drag scene. The photograph features Jimmy Paulette and Taboo!, two of Goldin's beloved and recurring muses, in a New York apartment. Paulette poses against the door frame with a strong gaze that is both demure and mischievous, contributing to the sense of intimacy that this piece evokes. Meanwhile, Taboo!’s profile is visible on the bottom right through the reflection of a floor-length mirror.
This image is one of several iconic photographs of Jimmy Paulette that represent the unique energy and presence of drag during New York City Pride, including and .
Although images of drag queens and glamorous trans women are increasingly common in mainstream media today, photos celebrating this type of queer expression in the early ’90s, at the height of the AIDS crisis, were considered uncommon and transgressive.
This photograph appears in Goldin’s seminal book The Other Side (1993), an important document that observes and dignifies the glamour, courage, and vibrancy of the drag and trans communities.
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“Jimmy Paulette and Taboo! Undressing, NYC”
USA, 1991
Cibachrome print, flush-mounted
Titled, signed, and dated on the verso
From an edition of 25
39.5”H 26.5”W (sheet)
40.5”H 27.5”W (framed)
Very good condition
Literature:
Nan Goldin, The Other Side, Manchester, England 1993, reproduced (colour) p.80
Nan Goldin: I'll be your Mirror, exhibition catalogue, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York 1996, reproduced (colour) p.308
Iwona Blazwick, Simon Wilson, Tate Modern: the handbook, London 2000, p.161, reproduced (colour) p.161
