Christmas at The Other Side, Boston

1972

Nan Goldin

Associated Names
Nan Goldin

Artist, American, born 1953

This black-and-white photograph shows a person's profile from the shoulders up. The person is on the right side of the photograph, looking left, and they face a painting of a man. The person has light skin, high cheekbones, winged eye makeup, and pursed lips, and they are wearing a black headscarf. They are dressed in a dark garment along with four strands of pearl necklaces. The painting on the left that they are looking towards depicts a man resting his chin on his hands, looking thoughtful while smoking a cigarette in a cloud of smoke. The person in the photograph holds a lit match up to the cigarette of the painted man with a black-gloved hand.
This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Patrons' Permanent Fund

  • Dimensions

    image: 32.1 x 48.5 cm (12 5/8 x 19 1/8 in.)
    sheet: 40.3 x 51 cm (15 7/8 x 20 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2008.30.16

More About this Artwork

In this black-and-white photograph, five children sit closely together on a couch, reading different comic books and magazines. The comic books obscure the faces of the five children, and they appear absorbed in their reading. A sixth child who appears to be a young boy sits on the ground in front of the couch next to a coffee table piled high with dirty dishes and more comic books. His face is partially visible; he has light skin and dark hair, and he looks over his shoulder to the right. The children wear a variety of clothing with different patterns, including long-sleeved shirts, dresses, belts, and long pants. The wall behind the couch is light gray, with the edge of a framed photo visible at the top.

Article:  12 Documentary Photographers Who Changed the Way We See the World

Photographers of the 1970s revolutionized the medium through innovations of both style and subject.


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Eileen and Michael Cohen, New York; NGA purchase (through Zwirner & Wirth, New York), 2008.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2012

  • The Serial Portrait: Photography and Identity in the Last One Hundred Years: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, September 30–December 31, 2012

2025

  • The '70s Lens: Reimagining Documentary Photography: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 6, 2024–April 6, 2025

Bibliography

1992

  • Goldin, Nan. Die Andere Seite, 1972-1992. Exh. cat. Zurich, Berlin, New York: Der Alltag/ Parkett and Scalo Verlag, 1992: 23.

1996

  • Sussman, Elisabeth. Nan Goldin: I'll Be Your Mirror. New York : Whitney Museum of American Art. 1996: 54.

Inscriptions

on verso, signed by artist, across lower center in black ink: Christmas at the Other Side. Boston. 1972 Nan Goldin #4/18

Wikidata ID

Q64158361

You may be interested in

Loading Results