Peter Hujar (1934-1987) was an exceptional portraitist. Throughout his life, he photographed the denizens of the New York cultural underground. After first dipping his toe into fashion and commercial photography, he devoted himself instead to his own private work. He photographed men and women who, like him, had turned their backs on conventional society and were pursuing their passion. At the time of this photograph, Bill Elliott (born 1951) was a young jazz pianist and composer, living in the bohemi- an areas of Manhattan. The strange intimacy of this portrait highlights Hujar's artistic qualities: he produced disturbing, sensual images with a mysterious familiarity. The reclining model - an unusual pose in photographic portraiture – is a recurring motif in Hujar's work, as are the interplay of concealed/exposed bodies and the male nude. A major retrospective of his work, entitled Peter Hujar: Speed of Life, was held in 2019 at the Jeu de Paume in Paris.

Text: Pinault Collection.