The tensions of young manhood fascinate Larry Clark. His black-and-white documentary images of young outsiders reveal raw feelings. The photographs in Tough and tender reveal how he sees boys – their bravado a mask for deep emotional need.
Larry Clark was born in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1943. His self-published photo-essay Tulsa 1971 was admired by the photography community for its skilful and honest portrayal of youth’s emotional intensities. Clark continues to explore loss of innocence through his photography and film work.
The photographs in the exhibition, taken between 1963 and 1979, are selected from the National Gallery of Australia’s holdings of eighty of Clark’s photographs – the most significant collection of his work in Australia.
