The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has acquired 210 photographs by Ukrainian American photographer Peter Hujar (1934-87) from the Hujar Archive. The acquisition coincides with the gallery’s photography department preparing for its 25th anniversary exhibition, Collective Visions: Celebrating 25 Years of Photography, opening November 7, which will feature around 80 works chosen by the local community. The exhibition uses a unique chain-selection process where local artists, collectors, donors, community leaders, and scholars pick works in sequence, each inspired by the previous choice.
This acquisition matters because it significantly expands the AGO’s holdings of Hujar, a photographer who has been slow to receive widespread recognition despite his black-and-white portraits capturing New York’s artistic and gay liberation scenes from the 1960s to the 80s. Recent institutional shows and a biopic starring Ben Whishaw are helping to elevate his profile. The AGO’s community-driven exhibition model also represents a departure from traditional curatorial approaches, engaging the public directly in shaping the display of its 70,000-piece photography collection.