Newspaper Steve Lawrence, Peter Hujar, Andrew Ullrick

Published by Steve Lawrence and edited alongside Peter Hujar and Andrew Ullrick, Newspaper was issued in New York City between 1968 and 1971.

A wordless, picture-only periodical that replicated the scale of the New York Times, Newspaper ran for 14 issues and featured the disparate practices of over 40 artists. With an editorial focus on placing appropriated material alongside new artworks, the periodical sought to codify a visual language of high and low culture that represented contemporary society in the late 1960s. While largely overlooked in art-historical discourse, Newspaper showcased many of the most revered artists working in the United States at the time, as well as an emerging coterie of queer artists.

The mid to late sixties was a flourishing period for artists experimenting with new media formats such as books, records, and magazines to create or distribute their work. Newspaper was one of the first artist-published tabloids of its era, preceding Andy Warhol’s Interview and Les Levine’s Culture Hero, both of which debuted in 1969. However, in contrast to other tabloids, Newspaper focused strictly on images.

At a time when photography was not being exhibited regularly in galleries, Newspaper provided an alternative exhibition space for the medium and some of the era’s greatest photographers. The publication’s large size and unbound format encouraged readers to take it apart and hang its pages, which was how Newspaper was installed at the Museum of Modern Art’s influential Information show in 1970.

Published by Primary Information in 2023
416 pages
250 x 340 x 30mm
Softcover