Hand (John's Hand on Neck)
Gary Schneider, American (born South Africa), born 1954
1989
Gelatin silver print
6/10
Overall: 10 1/2 × 8 1/2 in. (26.7 × 21.6 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Trevor Fairbrother and John T. Kirk
2010.88.27
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
20th century
Object Name
Photograph
Research Area
Photograph
On view
Inscriptions
Titled, dated, and signed, in graphite, on reverse, center: HAND 1989 6/10 / GARY SCHNEIDER
Label
This close view of a hand on a man’s neck evokes a sensual experience, the hand grazing chest hair, stubble, and an Adam’s apple. Yet, the hand does not press too firmly, making the moment feel at once tender and organic. The relationship between the subject and the photographer remains unclear—the hand could even be the photographer’s own.
Gary Schneider is known for nude portraits and photos of body parts that experiment with long exposure or unique darkroom techniques. This photograph—his partner John’s hand on his own neck—feels fragile in its simplicity, a tone achieved through compositional devices rather than novel techniques. Made well into the AIDS epidemic, this intimate image of a hand on a neck is bold.
From the 2024 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 119, Embracing Vulnerability: Gay Intimacy in the Context of AIDS, curated by Colin Donnelly '24, Class of 1954 Intern
Course History
WGST 18, Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Studies, Eng-Beng Lim, Winter 2015
Exhibition History
"Collecting and Sharing: Trevor Fairbrother, John T. Kirk, and the Hood Museum of Art", Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, August 22-December 6, 2015.
A Space for Dialogue 119, Embracing Vulnerability: Gay Intimacy in the Context of AIDS, Colin Donnelly '24, Class of 1954 Intern, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 13 - September 1, 2024.
Provenance
Howard Yezerski Gallery, Boston Massachusetts; sold to John T. Kirk and Trevor J. Fairbrother, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, August 11, 2004; given to present collection, 2010.
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