Ryan McGinley

the long version

"Published to accompany an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Ryan McGinley: The Kids Were Alright focuses on the photographer's early work from 1998 to 2003, the year of his solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. These early photographs and Polaroids (many of which have never been exhibited or published) document his friends and collaborators in downtown New York City. In the process, McGinley created a powerful portrait of his generation and their often debauched lifestyle: gritty, daring, and focused on moments of both pleasure and tedium. McGinley's singular ability to capture the mood and emotional depth of a moment is evident even from the earliest years of his career"--