Even if you don’t know Nan Goldin by name, you’ve likely seen her work. Or, at the very least, we can guarantee you’ve seen work inspired by her.
A celebrated photographer and activist, Goldin’s been cited as one of the most influential artists of her generation. Known for her intimate, candid photographs, she is said to have revolutionized the medium and the art world at large.
Her piece The Ballad Of Sexual Dependency, in particular, was a game-changer, spotlighting the post-Stonewall gay subculture of the early ’80s through frank and provocative images of Goldin’s own New York City community.
Related: A candid view from the front lines of the gay liberation movement in 1970s Los Angeles
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Now, a new documentary is turning the lens on Goldin. From filmmaker Laura Poitras, All The Beauty And The Bloodshed is an epic, stirring look at the past, present, and future of an icon and queer trailblazer.
The feature catches up with the raconteur in her fight to take the pharmaceutical industry to task, working to hold the infamous Sackler family accountable for the opioid crisis—an epidemic she’s still recovering from herself.
It tells Goldin’s amazing story through her own groundbreaking work, thoughtful interviews, and rare footage of her activism and organized protests against the Sackler’s power in the art world, which take her from the Met to the Louvre to the Guggenheim Museum.
Related: Masculinity and queer life explored in major new photography exhibition
Poitras—who directed the Oscar-winning Edward Snowden doc Citizenfour—has already been garnering acclaim for All The Beauty And The Bloodshed. After making its global premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, the feature was awarded The Golden Lion, the festival’s top prize. The overwhelmingly positive reception already has awards prognosticators betting on it for next years’ Academy Awards.
This weekend, the film will play the London Film Festival, and then it will close out NYC’s queer film festival, Newfest, the following week. All The Beauty And The Bloodshed will open in exclusively in New York on November 23, then in Los Angeles and San Francisco on December 2, expanding into additional cities later that month (more info here).
You can watch the first official trailer for the film below:
Kangol2
Nan Goldin is one of the all-time late 20th century greats when it comes to queer photography. I’m so glad to see her as the focus of a documentary. She’s a longtime legend and deserves a wider audience, especially these days.