A newly published book offers an intimate glimpse into one of the art world's most compelling love stories, documenting the passionate two-decade relationship between photographer Peter Hujar and artist Paul Thek through their photographs and personal correspondence. "Stay Away From Nothing," published by Primary Information, traces their romance from its beginning in 1956 to its end in 1975, revealing how their personal bond shaped their artistic evolution.
The pair first met during a road trip to Key West, Florida, in 1956, when Hujar was 22 and Thek was 23. At that initial encounter, Hujar captured the first of many portraits he would take of Thek over the years. Both were young artists still finding their professional footing and were involved with other people at the time. However, this meeting would mark the beginning of a relationship that would profoundly influence both their personal lives and artistic careers.
Over the following decade, their connection evolved into a romantic partnership that coincided with significant artistic breakthroughs for both men. Thek emerged as a critically acclaimed artist, while Hujar established himself as a commercial photographer and created many of the portraits that would later secure his place in the canon of 20th-century photography, though this recognition came primarily after his death.
The book's editor, Francis Schichtel, discovered their story while digitizing The Peter Hujar Archive. "I went through every roll of film, beginning to end, and saw their relationship unfold in the negatives," Schichtel explained. "I felt like I'd seen all their travels and experiments – not just Peter photographing Paul and vice versa, but all the stories people told about them. Their artistic histories are so interesting, especially because Paul's most important work is gone, and Peter didn't become famous until after he died."
The correspondence featured in the book consists entirely of Thek's letters to Hujar, as Hujar's responses have not survived. While Thek had a poor track record of keeping his belongings, this one-sided conversation actually enhances the intimacy of the narrative. "When I first found the letters in the archive, they were all out of order," Schichtel recalled. "As I organized them, I was worried it would be a problem that only Paul's letters survived, but, actually, it makes things more interesting. You fill in the blanks for yourself; you get on Peter's side – receiving the letters, wondering how he'd feel reading them."
Among the most poignant pieces of correspondence is a 1961 postcard from Long Island beach, where Thek circled one lone bather among the crowds and wrote on the back, "A photograph of happy persons, except me, I am seen looking for you." Another memorable section covers Thek's first trip to Europe in 1962, before meeting Hujar in Italy. "The letters from that journey have such a sense of excitement and adventure," Schichtel noted. "There are these bursts, these segments where Paul writes prolifically. That part always feels especially beautiful to me."
The handwritten letters and postcards, complete with doodles and annotations, provide a more intimate experience than transcriptions would offer. Through this correspondence, Thek emerges as charming, spontaneous, irreverent, and somewhat demanding. "Paul is always asking Peter for things!" Schichtel observed. "Every letter, he's got a request. I sometimes wondered if Peter was annoyed!" This private side contrasts sharply with academic portrayals of the artist. "I understood Thek's work better after these letters," Schichtel continued. "Academic writing makes him seem so untouchable, but in the letters he's funny, self-aware, and doesn't take himself seriously."
Hujar's photographic evolution can be traced through his portraits of Thek over their two decades together. "You can see him get more serious and figure out what he wanted his work to mean, and it tracks with how he photographed Paul, too – it becomes more experimental, more intimate," Schichtel explained. While Hujar's technique became more refined and distinctive over time, his vision remained remarkably clear from the beginning. An early photograph of Thek sitting on a couch with his head resting against the wall demonstrates the photographer's signature style that would become more pronounced in later works.
Their creative partnership proved mutually beneficial and artistically significant. Thek regularly bounced ideas off Hujar, while Hujar found new creative freedom photographing Thek, who appeared in some of the photographer's early nude and intimate works. Their 1963 trip to the Palermo catacombs became the foundation for Hujar's deeply personal series "Portraits in Life and Death," the only book he published during his lifetime. For Thek, seeing corpses used as room decoration "like flowers" foreshadowed his later meat artworks that would bring him art world fame.
Despite their deep connection, the relationship began to deteriorate around 1975, ultimately ending their two-decade partnership. However, Schichtel argues that the relationship's conclusion doesn't diminish its significance. "The success of a relationship should never be defined purely by its ability to sustain itself forever," he noted. The book captures not just their artistic collaboration but also the passionate romance that sustained them through years of travel across Europe and the United States.
When asked about the attraction between the two artists, Schichtel points to both their physical beauty and their intellectual connection. "They were both stunningly beautiful, which shouldn't go without mentioning," he observed. "Aside from everything else, 'Stay Away From Nothing' is an enthralling and glamorous romance." Thek's letters during their most passionate period are described as "disarming, captivating, lustful," embodying the intensity of their bond.
"Like all good romances, it doesn't end happily, but that's not the point," Schichtel reflected. "It becomes sad towards the end, but they're so romantic. That's the underlying feeling of the book. There's such a deep love there." The publication offers readers a rare window into how personal relationships can fuel artistic innovation and provides a poignant reminder that some of art history's most important works emerged from deeply personal connections between creative individuals.
