Ryan McGinley’s “unstaged and unedited” photographs on display for the first time

Date
15 February 2017

The formidable early works of Ryan McGinley are now on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. The exhibition titled, Ryan McGinley: The Kids Were Alright features recognisable photographs, as well as 1,500 never before exhibited polaroids.

Ryan is praised for his pioneering honest approach to photography, capturing daily antics, often of intimate moments which led him to be a prolific and commended artist. The show features self-portrait pieces, photographs of his friends and collaborators in lower manhattan during the late 1990s.

The second floor of the gallery focuses solely on Ryan’s photographs from 1998 – 2003 including his polaroids which played part in an early series which saw the photographer document almost every visitor of his home and studio over four years. “Unstated and unedited, McGinley’s use of light imbues all of the works with an intensity and profound emotional depth,” says the gallery. “They may depict a figure as brooding and contemplative or bursting with joyful exuberance. McKinley’s photos and polaroids continually elevate these everyday moments and allow them to pulsate with life.” The exhibition additionally features works by Dash Snow and Dan Colen, two of Ryan’s early and close collaborators.

The exhibition runs until 20 August 2017.

Above

Ryan McGinley: Jack, July 2, 1999

Above
Left

Ryan McGinley: Dash, May 19, 2001

Right

Ryan McGinley: Amy, July 28, 2001

Above

Ryan McGinley: Amy, July 28, 2001

Above
Left

Ryan McGinley: Raina, July 3, 2001

Right

Ryan McGinley: Teddy, June 24, 2001

Above

Ryan McGinley: Teddy, June 24, 2001

Above

Ryan McGinley: Ryan, June 12, 2002

Above

Ryan McGinley: The Kiss, 2000

Above

Ryan McGinley: Fireworks, 2002

Above

Ryan McGinley: Canal Ledge, 2001

Above

Ryan McGinley: Self-Portrait

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

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