#PeterHujar (October 11, 1934 – November 26, 1987) was a photographer best known for his black and white portraits. Hujar was born in #Trenton, #NewJersey and abandoned by his parents as an infant, raised by his #Ukrainian grandparents. As early as 1956, Hujar began taking photographs that showed signs of his particular style and point of view. After meeting artist #JosephRaffael, Hujar accompanied him on a Fulbright to Italy, where he took many photos. In 1963, Hujar secured his own Fulbright and returned to Italy where he explored and photographed the #Palermocatacombs. On this trip, Hujar was accompanied by his lover #PaulThek. Back in #NewYork, Hujar was part of the downtown art scene. He appeared in one of #AndyWarhol's Screen Tests. He worked for a spell for successful commercial photographer #HaroldKrieger and shot for #HarpersBazaar and #GQ. He moved in to his deceased friend #JackieCurtis's loft at 189 2nd Avenue. Hujar took many photos of his friends, combining many of them with his #Palermo photos for a book called Portraits in Life and Death, published in 1976 by Da Capo Press. The introduction was written by his close friend #SusanSontag and her portrait appears in the book. Using the people in his life as subjects, Hujar took iconic photos of Sontag, #EthylEichelberger, Candy Darling, #Divine, and his lover #DavidWojnarowicz. His photograph of #CandyDarling on her deathbed in the hospital has been frequently reproduced. Hujar died at #CabriniMedicalCenter on November 25, 1987, from #AIDS-related pneumonia. Wojnarowicz was with him when he died and made a brief video recording of his body, head to toe, and took 23 photographs. Per Hujar's wishes, his funeral was held at #ChurchofStJoseph in #GreenwichVillage. He is buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, #Valhalla, New York. #whatisrememberedlives #theaidsmemorial #aidsmemorial #neverforget #endaids #lgbthistory
