Nan Goldin 'David at Grove St., Boston'

Art House: The Collection of Chara Schreyer
Nan Goldin
b. 1953
'David at Grove St., Boston'

gelatin silver print, signed, titled, dated, and editioned '9/18' in pencil on the reverse, framed, a Matthew Marks Gallery label on the reverse
image: 18¾ by 12¾ in. (47.6 by 32.4 cm.)
frame: 26¼ by 20¼ in. (66.7 by 51.4 cm.)
Executed in 1972.

Please note that this lot will not be on view during the sale exhibition. It is located at our Long Island City, New York storage facility. If you would like to examine it in person before the sale please contact Anjli Patel at Anjli.Patel@sothebys.com

Condition Report:
Please note the colors and shades in the online catalogue illustration may vary depending on screen settings.

This print is in generally excellent condition. Visible under raking light are a few pinpoint sized impressions in the center of the image that do not appear to break the emulsion. There is a soft handling crease in the lower right quadrant that does not appear to break the emulsion. There are a few short creases in the upper margin and there are minor losses to the upper paper-ply at the upper right and left margin corners.

Catalogue Note:
"The most extensive portrait in Goldin’s work is of David Armstrong, whom she has photographed since the 1960s. It forms a parallel to The Ballad of Sexual Dependency. Unlike that work, which is driven by sexuality and its fallout, the Armstrong portrait reveals friendship without the obsessional quality of a lover’s portrait. It is a straightforward, structured narrative of another form of desire: Goldin clearly loves the body and face of Armstrong, but she records his features in order to fathom his presence as a deep force in her life" (I’ll Be Your Mirror, p. 40). This photograph is situated at the beginning of the extensive documentation of Armstrong, charting his development into adulthood. All the themes characteristic of Goldin’s oeuvre are present in this portrait: nightlife, identity expression, and–the most essential–companionship.

Provenance:
Matthew Marks Gallery, New York

Acquired from the above in 2009 by the present owner