Paul Thek and Peter Hujar: Stay away from nothing

Follow the friendship and romance of storied artists Peter Hujar and Paul Thek, from the US to Italy and back again, through previously unpublished letters, postcards, candid portraits and contact sheets

This volume shines a spotlight on the deep relationship between Paul Thek (1933-88) and Peter Hujar (1934-87) through the artists' letters and photographs. The book opens with Hujar's early portraits capturing the beginnings of their relationship, including Thek's first letters to Hujar, written while aboard a containership en route to Europe, where the two would eventually meet in Rome. From there, the publication traces their evolution into the icons we know them as today, with the remaining letters tracing Thek's travels and adventures, romantic dalliances, work and financial ups and downs through 1975.
Stay away from nothing reproduces more than 50 letters and postcards, along with drawings and other ephemera; their poetic, quotidian and melancholic tone provide a rare glimpse into Thek and Hujar's relationship as it waivers between seduction, glamour, tumult and mischievousness. Throughout this period, Hujar photographed Thek in his now iconic style, capturing him in Italy, in various studios and on the beaches of Fire Island. Included are the artist's now-classic images of Thek in the catacombs in Palermo, as well as his studio portraits of the artist creating The Tomb. Among these well-known works are dozens of other photographs and contact sheets, many unpublished until now, including candid portraits of Thek as well as images of the two artists goofing around or posing for passport photos. Collectively, these images demonstrate not only the complex emotional interiority of Thek but the tender, dark and hopeful connection between the two artists, lovers and friends.