Allen Ginsberg

American, 1926 - 1997

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The image displays a series of swirling shapes, dots, and lines, along with various complex patterns. Recognizable objects like birds, fish, and human figures emerge within the design. Celestial motifs appear at the top, doodle-like characters fill the middle, and aquatic imagery, such as fish and sea creatures, dominates the bottom. The composition resembles a fantastical map or a dream scene, with playful references to familiar forms.
Allen Ginsberg, Kadie Davison, Paul Gellman, Richard Kaz, James Reid, Gemini G.E.L., Harry Smith's Birthday Party, 1998, lithograph and screenprint on Rives BFK wove paper, Gift of Gemini G.E.L., LLC and the Artist, 2015.23.403

Harry Smith's Birthday Party

Allen Ginsberg, Kadie Davison, Paul Gellman, Richard Kaz, James Reid, Gemini G.E.L. · 1998 · lithograph and screenprint on Rives BFK wove paper ·  Accession ID  2015.23.403
The image shows a man standing indoors, wearing a fedora hat, large round glasses, a tweed jacket, a patterned tie, and a striped shirt. He has a full beard and mustache. The man is adjusting his tie with both hands and also wearing a bracelet on one wrist. Next to him is a stack of papers and books. The background includes a window with trees outside. The image has handwritten notes beneath it.
Allen Ginsberg, Self-Portrait on my seventieth birthday in Borsalino hat and black cashmere-silk scarf from Milan &amp; Dublin Thornproof-tweed suit, Oleg Cassini tie from Goodwill shirt same source, kitchen window mid-day, I stayed home &amp; worked on <em>Selected Poems 1947 – ’95</em> proofs after returning from Walker Art Centre reading — Beat exhibition weekend. Monday, June 3, 1996, N.Y., 1996, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary S. Davis, 2009.108.9

Self-Portrait on my seventieth birthday in Borsalino hat and black cashmere-silk scarf from Milan & Dublin Thornproof-tweed suit, Oleg Cassini tie from Goodwill shirt same source, kitchen window mid-day, I stayed home & worked on Selected Poems 1947 – ’95 proofs after returning from Walker Art Centre reading — Beat exhibition weekend. Monday, June 3, 1996, N.Y.

Allen Ginsberg · 1996 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2009.108.9
The artwork is a vertical mixed-media piece featuring an array of skeletal illustrations and handwritten text. The title "The Ballad of the Skeletons" is placed at the top in red. The composition includes numerous skeletons and skulls drawn in both red and blue ink, scattered throughout the page. The text is written in black ink, occupying central space in a columnar format. Various skeletal figures, both detailed and simplistic, are interspersed with decorative elements like skulls, bones, and abstract patterns. The background is a plain off-white, allowing the vivid colors of the ink to stand out. An artist's signature is visible at the bottom right corner.
Allen Ginsberg, Julian Schnabel, George Condo, David Hockney, Wim Wenders, Ed Ruscha, Hiro Yamagata, William S. Burroughs, John Giorno, Steven Taylor, Raymond Foye, Richard Kaz, James Reid, Gemini G.E.L., The Ballad of the Skeletons, 1996, color screenprint on Rives BFK wove paper, Gift of Lee and Ann Fensterstock, 2000.177.22

The Ballad of the Skeletons

Allen Ginsberg, Julian Schnabel, George Condo, David Hockney, Wim Wenders, Ed Ruscha, Hiro Yamagata, William S. Burroughs, John Giorno, Steven Taylor, Raymond Foye, Richard Kaz, James Reid, Gemini G.E.L. · 1996 · color screenprint on Rives BFK wove paper ·  Accession ID  2000.177.22
Two men are standing outside during the day. One man on the left is standing upright in a striped shirt with suspenders, and the other man on the right is sitting on the edge of a vehicle. The background shows storefronts with mannequins displayed, a parked car, an urban building with balconies, and a closed store shutter with graffiti.
Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky &amp; Robert Frank parked across from my apartment door, his truck --he had stopped by to visit. I brought down my Leica &amp; Fuji cameras &amp; film for him to take my photo for back cover <em>Selected Poems</em>. Peter came by. They hadn't seen each other in nine months Peter said. East 12th street, June 11, 1996., 1996, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary S. Davis, 2011.146.25

Peter Orlovsky & Robert Frank parked across from my apartment door, his truck --he had stopped by to visit. I brought down my Leica & Fuji cameras & film for him to take my photo for back cover Selected Poems. Peter came by. They hadn't seen each other in nine months Peter said. East 12th street, June 11, 1996.

Allen Ginsberg · 1996 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2011.146.25
The image shows a man from the waist up, leaning against the hood of a car. He is positioned with his left elbow resting on the car and his body is tilted slightly at the hips. His facial features include a prominent brow and a slightly downturned expression. He has short, curly hair that is thinning at the top. He is wearing a plain short-sleeved t-shirt with a pair of glasses hanging from the neckline and partially visible pinstriped pants. There is no visible jewelry, and he is not holding any objects. The background features a street scene with several buildings on either side, parked cars lining the street, and more vehicles and trees in the distance under a partly cloudy sky.
Allen Ginsberg, I’d asked Robert Frank to take portrait for Selected Poems dust jacket, he showed up late Sunday afternoon, truck parked across from my apartment, yelled up, he had no camera. I came down with Leica &amp; Fuji 6×9, he took some photos midstreet by his car, I snapped him thus, then with my Fuji he said, “This’ll be it,” as long lambent orange sunlight rayed down East 12th Street from Hudson River horizon, it worked fine for book, he was relaxed, accidentally unerring. N.Y. June 9, 1996., 1996, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary S. Davis, 2009.103.33

I’d asked Robert Frank to take portrait for Selected Poems dust jacket, he showed up late Sunday afternoon, truck parked across from my apartment, yelled up, he had no camera. I came down with Leica & Fuji 6×9, he took some photos midstreet by his car, I snapped him thus, then with my Fuji he said, “This’ll be it,” as long lambent orange sunlight rayed down East 12th Street from Hudson River horizon, it worked fine for book, he was relaxed, accidentally unerring. N.Y. June 9, 1996.

Allen Ginsberg · 1996 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2009.103.33
The image shows a man seated at a table in a restaurant. He is facing the camera directly, with a serious expression. He is wearing a leather jacket over a shirt. On the table in front of him are items including a large glass, a pot of coffee, a cup, a sugar dispenser, and condiments. Multiple papers or napkins are scattered around the table, and there are partially obscured plates of food visible. The background features other diners, with at least two people seated at a table behind him. The setting includes a cozy ambiance with a hanging lamp, wall decorations, and a window on the left. The image is in black and white.
Allen Ginsberg, Lafcadio Orlovsky, with sister Marie. I went to Park Lake Rest Home Ronkonkoma L.I. where he’d been sheltered &amp; sedated the last few years, silent - till Catholic Charities arranged for Day-Care thrice weekly, he woke a bit &amp; began crayon drawing again, phoned me &amp; asked me to visit with Marie after 2 years absence. “Can I go home and live with Marie?” We went to restaurant on highway nearby March 21, 1995., 1995, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary Davis, 2012.118.62

Lafcadio Orlovsky, with sister Marie. I went to Park Lake Rest Home Ronkonkoma L.I. where he’d been sheltered & sedated the last few years, silent - till Catholic Charities arranged for Day-Care thrice weekly, he woke a bit & began crayon drawing again, phoned me & asked me to visit with Marie after 2 years absence. “Can I go home and live with Marie?” We went to restaurant on highway nearby March 21, 1995.

Allen Ginsberg · 1995 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2012.118.62
The image shows a young man from the chest up, seated with his body facing the camera and slightly leaning forward. His head is slightly tilted, and he is smiling directly at the viewer. He has short, dark hair and facial hair, including a mustache and a beard. He is wearing a light-colored, open jacket over a T-shirt with a visible logo or design on it. In front of him, there is a large white plate with a salad. He is holding a fork in his right hand, which rests on the edge of the plate. To the right of the plate is a spoon. The background features a light-colored wall with part of a framed mirror visible, reflecting some abstract shapes or other frames. There's a handwritten note at the bottom of the image.
Allen Ginsberg, Geoffrey Manough, day after 18th birthday, Poet visiting New York from College Chapel Hill, North Carolina, pasta salad on 1st ave. "I feel like I could Walk / into a forest / and start a fire with every footprint / ...I have found a me long buried / beneath sludge, gripe, and scabs / beneath discrimination and self-hate. / All devices aside, / I can now say that the race is won. / I'm over the line." From <em>Mystic's Fists</em> pamphlet. March 21, 1995., 1995, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary Davis, 2016.184.16

Geoffrey Manough, day after 18th birthday, Poet visiting New York from College Chapel Hill, North Carolina, pasta salad on 1st ave. "I feel like I could Walk / into a forest / and start a fire with every footprint / ...I have found a me long buried / beneath sludge, gripe, and scabs / beneath discrimination and self-hate. / All devices aside, / I can now say that the race is won. / I'm over the line." From Mystic's Fists pamphlet. March 21, 1995.

Allen Ginsberg · 1995 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2016.184.16
The image shows a man seated, facing forward and looking at the camera. He has a bold graphic T-shirt with the text "KILL ALL" above an image of a gun. His head is bald with prominent facial features. One hand holds a leaflet while the other rests on a table with papers. In the background, a partly open door reveals a bookshelf with books. The setting suggests an indoor space with wooden furniture.
Allen Ginsberg, David Greenberg, Phi Beta Kappa Rutgers U. '93, Poet, art curator &amp; essayist, guitar-singer Indie-Rock group "Pen Pal", co-editor Soft Skull Press, Great friend &amp; scholar, fresh from 24th birthday head-shave: when you look at it closer it doesn't look menacing," he said first seeing this portrait. After graduation he stayed six months in little guest-room open-doored behind him. March 13, 1995., 1995, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary Davis, 2013.145.44

David Greenberg, Phi Beta Kappa Rutgers U. '93, Poet, art curator & essayist, guitar-singer Indie-Rock group "Pen Pal", co-editor Soft Skull Press, Great friend & scholar, fresh from 24th birthday head-shave: when you look at it closer it doesn't look menacing," he said first seeing this portrait. After graduation he stayed six months in little guest-room open-doored behind him. March 13, 1995.

Allen Ginsberg · 1995 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2013.145.44
The image shows two men standing together outdoors next to a stone wall with a metal railing in the background. The man on the left has a bald head, a gray beard, and is wearing glasses. He is dressed in a patterned coat with a dark scarf. The man on the right also has gray hair and a beard, and he is wearing glasses. He is dressed in a dark suit and shirt with a handkerchief in his breast pocket. The background features a coastal scene with a sandy beach and a distant promontory. The sky is visible with faint outlines of distant landforms.
Allen Ginsberg, Welsh Poet Dafydd Rowlands &amp; myself above Laugharne Bay &amp; Dylan Thomas' Boat-house, he'd driven us back from Aberystwyth Eisteddfod englynion competition where we'd met ex-Bardic Chair-holder former Dic Jones, thence we returned to Swansea Poetry Festival where I'd stayed six days, April 5, 1995., 1995, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary Davis, 2013.145.34

Welsh Poet Dafydd Rowlands & myself above Laugharne Bay & Dylan Thomas' Boat-house, he'd driven us back from Aberystwyth Eisteddfod englynion competition where we'd met ex-Bardic Chair-holder former Dic Jones, thence we returned to Swansea Poetry Festival where I'd stayed six days, April 5, 1995.

Allen Ginsberg · 1995 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2013.145.34
The image shows a man with slightly long, light-colored hair, wearing a buttoned-up dark collared shirt under a lighter vest or jacket. He has a serious facial expression, with wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes. The man is looking directly at the camera, with two pens in his shirt pocket and a watch with a dark band on his wrist. The background is an indoor setting with framed pictures and documents.
Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Maestro Poet, ancient herald’s wand pin, messenger-god Hermes Caduceus near his pen, a quiet afternoon in “The Kettle of Fish,” an old bar in Greenwich Village under whose sign Kerouac used to drink. Gregory called me to join him, we spent a few hours talking till supper time, tired he took cab home to Horatio Street, March 13, 1995. I showed him poems by 19 year old new poet, he liked them too., 1995, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary S. Davis, 2009.103.32

Gregory Corso, Maestro Poet, ancient herald’s wand pin, messenger-god Hermes Caduceus near his pen, a quiet afternoon in “The Kettle of Fish,” an old bar in Greenwich Village under whose sign Kerouac used to drink. Gregory called me to join him, we spent a few hours talking till supper time, tired he took cab home to Horatio Street, March 13, 1995. I showed him poems by 19 year old new poet, he liked them too.

Allen Ginsberg · 1995 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2009.103.32