Peter Hujar was a trailblazing American photographer known for making black and white portraits. He was a central figure in the creative scene in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s before his premature death from complications related to AIDS. His portraits are extremely personal and formally striking, representing strangers and famous figures alike. Beyond portraiture, Hujar was also a chronicler of landscapes, cityscapes, and animals. He used a twin lens reflex camera that captured something beyond what is presented in the photograph: the essence of the subject.

–Ariana Kaye, from the Glenstone Field Guide