Joel‑Peter Witkin, a master of the art of the grotesque, is an American photographer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is known for confronting
mortality and the human body with unflinching theatricality. His meticulously staged compositions incorporate corpses or anatomical fragments alongside models with a wide range
of physical forms, including people with dwarfism, transgender and intersex individuals, and others whose bodies fall outside conventional norms. Rather than sensationalize,
Witkin frames his subjects with dignity and deliberate artistry, crafting tableaux vivants that echo religious iconography and the visual language of classical painting.
All photographs: Joel-Peter Witkin
A Mermaid's Tale, 2018, Gelatin silver print, 16 × 20 in | 40.6 × 50.8 cm, Edition 14/15/15, Part of a limited edition set
Nature Sees the First Human Death, Mexico City, 2017, Gelatin silver print
The Soul Has No Gender, 2016, Gelatin silver print
Fictional Store Fronts: Camera Store Window, 2004, Vintage toned gelatin silver print
Amour, 1987, Toned gelatin silver print
Sanitarium, 1985, Photogravure poster
Humor and Fear, New Mexico, 1999, Toned gelatin silver print
Head of Dead Man, 1990, Gelatin silver print, 29 1/2 × 36 3/5 in | 74.9 × 93 cm, Edition 14/15, Part of a limited edition set
Portrait of Greg Vaughn, 2004, vintage toned gelatin silver print
Man Without Legs (A Portrait of Peter) Date: 1984, Medium: Photogravure (other prints may vary)
Dwarf from Naples, 2006, Gelatin silver print, 32 7/10 × 25 1/5 in | 83 × 64 cm, From an unknown edition,
Woman on a Table, 1982, Gelatin silver print, 32 × 29 1/2 in | 81.3 × 74.9 cm, Edition AP2L/3 + 3AP, Part of a limited edition set
The Bird of Queveda, NM, 1982, Gelatin silver print, 16 × 20 in | 40.6 × 50.8 cm, From an unknown edition
Bad Student, 2007, Gelatin silver print, 20 × 16 in | 50.8 × 40.6 cm
Gods of Earth and Heaven, Los Angeles, 1988, Gelatin silver print, 16 × 20 in | 40.6 × 50.8 cm, Edition of 15, Part of a limited edition set,
Siamese Twins, Los Angeles, 1988, Toned gelatin silver print, 34 1/2 × 30 1/2 in | 87.6 × 77.5 cm, Edition AP1
Poet: From a Collection of Relics and Ornaments, Berlin, 1986 Toned gelatin silver print, 16 × 20 in | 40.6 × 50.8 cm
A Day in the Country, Poland, 1998, Gelatin silver print
First Casting for Milo, 2003, Vintage gelatin silver print, 17 1/2 × 13 3/5 in | 44.5 × 34.5 cm
The Result of War - The Cornucopian Dog, 1984, Gelatin silver print or photogravure, photograph depicts a dog, possibly a cadaver, with an open cavity in its side,
"Journeys of the Mask: Helene Fourmet", 1984, Gelatin silver print or photogravure
Portrait of Nan, New Mexico, 1984, Typically a toned gelatin silver print
Studio of the Painter, 1990, Gelatin silver print, 16 × 20 in | 40.6 × 50.8 cm
Ragazzo con quattro Braccia, Boy with Four Arms, 1984, Gelatin silver print, 16 × 20 in | 40.6 × 50.8 cm, Edition 12/15, Part of a limited edition set,
Venus, Pan and Time, San Francisco, 1984, Gelatin silver print, From an unknown edition,
Man Without Legs, New York City, 1984, Gelatin silver print
Canova's Venus, New York City, 1982, Gelatin silver print, 20 × 16 in | 50.8 × 40.6 cm, Part of a limited edition set
Art Deco Lamp, New Mexico, 1986, Vintage toned gelatin silver print, 14 1/2 × 14 1/2 in | 36.8 × 36.8 cm, Edition of 4/15
Night in a Small Town, New Mexico, 2007, Toned gelatin silver print, 16 × 20 in | 40.6 × 50.8 cm
Face of a Woman, Marseilles, 2004, Gelatin silver print, 22 1/8 × 32 7/8 in | 56.2 × 83.5 cm
Melvin Burkhart - Human Oddity, Florida, 1985, Gelatin silver print, 16 × 20 in | 40.6 × 50.8 cm, Edition 1/15, Part of a limited edition set
Satiro, 1992, Gelatin silver print, 16 × 20 in | 40.6 × 50.8 cm, Edition AP2, Part of a limited edition set
Death is Like Lunch, it's Coming, 2010, Gelatin silver print with hand applied ink, 20 × 16 in | 50.8 × 40.6 cm, From an unknown edition
Head on a Stick- What is Poetry When We See So Little, 2002, Gelatin silver print
Empire, 2009, Gelatin silver print, 16 × 20 in | 40.6 × 50.8 cm
Testicle Stretch with the Possibility of a Crushed Face, New Mexico, 1982, Toned gelatin silver print, 20 × 16 in | 50.8 × 40.6 cm, Edition of 15
Feast of Fools, 1990, Gelatin silver exhibition print, 39 × 41 in |
99.1 × 104.1 cm, Edition AP1/15 and 3 AP, Part of a limited edition set
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