Nan Goldin: The Ballad of Sexual Dependency

First published in 1986, Nan Goldin’sThe Ballad of Sexual Dependencytribe.

These photographs described a lifestyle that was visceral, charged and seething with a raw appetite for living, and the book soon became the swan song for an era that reached its peak in the early 1980s. Goldin’s lush color photography and candid style still demand that the viewer encounter their profound intensity head-on. As she writes: Real memory, which these pictures trigger, is an invocation of the color, smell, sound and physical presence, the density and flavor of life.

Through an accurate and detailed record of Goldin’s life, The Ballad of Sexual Dependencys influence on photography and other aesthetic realms has continued to grow, making it a classic of contemporary photography.

Author Biography

Mark Holborn is an internationally recognized editor and designer of illustrated books working with a diverse range of artists, from William Eggleston to Lucian Freud. He is also a curator, author and specialist on Japanese culture. His books as an editor with Thames & Hudson include Antony Gormley on Sculpture, Susan Meiselas: On the Frontline and Daido Moriyama.