The Peter Hujar Archive and Foundation has left Pace Gallery and will now be jointly represented by New York-based gallery Ortuzar and Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco. The archive will continue working with Mai 36 Galerie in Zürich and Maureen Paley in London on select projects. Ortuzar founder Ales Ortuzar expressed deep personal excitement about representing Hujar, who will be the first photographer the gallery has represented since its founding in 2018. The gallery plans two concurrent exhibitions this spring: a recreation of Hujar's 1986 show at Gracie Mansion and a group show featuring artists from his circle.
This move matters because it signals a major shift in representation for one of the 20th century's most influential photographers, whose work has seen a significant resurgence in recent years. Hujar's market and institutional presence have grown substantially, with a 2025 biopic by Ira Sachs, a reissue of his seminal book "Portraits in Life and Death," and upcoming exhibitions at the Morgan Library and Museum and Gropius Bau. The departure from Pace Gallery, which had represented the archive since 2013, marks a new chapter that could reshape how Hujar's legacy is presented and commercialized.