Ethyl Eichelberger,

ca. 1980

Hujar’s black-and-white portraits provide intimate glimpses of the New York cultural scene in the 1970s and 1980s. In pictures such as these, Hujar created a moving document of a community of queer artists. Eichelberger was a theatrical actor who often embodied iconic, historical women in his solo performances. Curtis, a provocative performer and Warhol Superstar who appeared in Warhol’s films, is shown here with then-husband Lance Loud, a television personality and member of the downtown rock band The Mumps. Both Eichelberger’s and Curtis’s work challenged the performance of gender, or, as Curtis explained, "I am not a boy, not a girl. I am not gay, not straight. I’m not a drag queen, not a transsexual . . . I’m just me, Jackie."