The Shabbiness of Beauty

“I curated myself with Peter Hujar; a risky act, but it was an invitation I could not resist. I began by listing categories of images I wanted to see: animals, water, Latino men, body parts, NYC, babies. I’ve long been familiar with Hujar’s work and chose images I knew I could be in conversation with, but I also tried as much as possible to select from amongst his lesser-known works, in particular ones that have rarely if ever been shown. . .”
—Mora Davey

A beautiful and much-awaited book, that follows the exhibition Davey curated at Galerie Buchholz in spring 2020. The two artists' photographs are set in a dialogue that highlight their physicality, tenderness, and emotional power, between the allegory and the document. Most of the photographs are in b/w, except for some of portraits of Paul Thek by Hujar. Amazing pictures of motherhood, sea, and horses. The Shabbiness of Beauty also comprises a new text by Eileen Myles; the text Davey wrote for the 2020 show; and a note by Stephen Koch about a Hujar letter reproduced in the book.