Tulsa 1963-1971

In his seminal series Tulsa, (1963-1971), Larry Clark documents sex, violence, and amphetamine use amongst his friends in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this series, Clark blurs the lines between voyeur and participant. The son of a commercial baby portrait photographer, Clark gained early entry into the profession while working as an assistant to his mother in the family business. Tulsa was published in 1971 and immediately gained recognition for it's raw photo documentary style and brought to light the self-destructive elements of youth culture hidden beneath the wholesome facade of middle America. His follow-up series Teenage Lust (1983) and later his feature film Kids (1995), addressed similar themes of young adults experimenting with sex and drugs and pushes the boundaries of what is accepted in society. The portfolio featured here was printed in 1980 and includes 50 gelatin silver prints.

His work is included in museum collections worldwide including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA; The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA.; and the Frankfurt Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany.