Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
May 2–June 21, 2014
Berlin

In the early 1990s, Philip-Lorca diCorcia made five trips to Los Angeles, where he drove along Santa Monica Boulevard and nearby neighborhoods on the lookout for male prostitutes. The artist would then strike a deal: he offered each prostitute his normal rate, asking only to take their photograph. The resulting series, today called Hustlers, was both a breakthrough for the artist and a key episode in the now familiar mode of photography that occupies a semi-fictive space between street and stage. The historical specificity and taxonomic impulse of the project are declared in the title of each photograph: the subject is identified by his name, age, place of birth, and the money he received for agreeing to pose.

 

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Philip-Lorca diCorcia predetermined each setting, posing his assistant to prepare the lighting and set up before returning with a man to make the final photograph. Hotel rooms, parking lots, curbs, cafes, backyards and bus stops all offer potential backdrops for the pictures. Chris, 28 years old, Los Angeles, California, $30 (1990-92), shows a man seated on an elevated motel walkway, the metal guardrails receding into space, his arms reaching up to clutch the highest rail. He might be lost in thought, yet the picture also conveys a sense of entrapment. Tim, 27 years old, Orange County, California, $30 (1990-92) depicts a shirtless man bathed in warm light, gingerly approaching an open door as if he couldn’t quite tell whether it offered an escape or an alluring dead-end. The subjects convey a range of emotions or attitudes, from dignified beauty to desperation, lending poignancy to the elegiac mood of the series.

Conceived amid the AIDS crisis and during the ‘culture wars’ of the early 1990s, an era fuelled by the censorious rhetoric of figures such as Jesse Helms, the photographs come out of a particularly tense historical moment. In 1989, diCorcia received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and this money allowed him to embark on the Hustlers project, not to mention pay the prostitutes in the photographs. "None of these guys were free", writes diCorcia in a new steidldangin book to mark the twentieth anniversary of the first exhibition of Hustlers, at MoMA, in 1993. "They charged for their services, for a faked sense of what passes for intimacy in the realm they left behind. They barely found a place to sleep or get high afterwards, but they accomplished the most sublime trade, their artistry: Nothing for Nothing. That's what was so perfect for me. It summed it all up."

 

Installation Views
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Details
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Hustlers
Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, May 2–June 21, 2014
Photo: Timo Ohler

Details
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Exhibited Works
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Joe Reeves, 37 years old, San Fernando, California, $40, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Joe Reeves, 37 years old, San Fernando, California, $40, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Chris, 28 years old, Los Angeles, California, $30, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Chris, 28 years old, Los Angeles, California, $30, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
William Charles Everlove, 26 years old, Stockholm, Sweden, via Arizona; $40, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
William Charles Everlove, 26 years old, Stockholm, Sweden, via Arizona; $40, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Tim, 27 years old, Orange County, California, $30, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Tim, 27 years old, Orange County, California, $30, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Rance DiGaetano lll, 28 years old, Glendale, California, $30 / 'Rose' Eunice Belcourt, 22 years old, Vancouver, California, $30, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Rance DiGaetano lll, 28 years old, Glendale, California, $30 / 'Rose' Eunice Belcourt, 22 years old, Vancouver, California, $30, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Brent Booth, 21 years old, Des Moines, Iowa, $30, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Brent Booth, 21 years old, Des Moines, Iowa, $30, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Cat' Thomas, 25 years old, Santa Monica and Detroit, $20, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Cat' Thomas, 25 years old, Santa Monica and Detroit, $20, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Robert 'Sparky' Anderson, 47 years old, Detroit, Michigan, $25, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Robert 'Sparky' Anderson, 47 years old, Detroit, Michigan, $25, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Major Tom, 20 years old, Kansas City, Kansas, $20, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Major Tom, 20 years old, Kansas City, Kansas, $20, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
David Holstein, 30 years old, Elnora, Indiana, $25, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
David Holstein, 30 years old, Elnora, Indiana, $25, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Roy, 'in his 20s', Los Angeles, California, $50, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Roy, 'in his 20s', Los Angeles, California, $50, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Tim Morgan Jr., 21 years old, Los Angeles, California, $25 / Joe Egure, 18 years old, Los Angeles, California, $25, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Tim Morgan Jr., 21 years old, Los Angeles, California, $25 / Joe Egure, 18 years old, Los Angeles, California, $25, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Shawn, 33 years old, New York, New York, $50, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Shawn, 33 years old, New York, New York, $50, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Keith Ryan, 36 years old, Bakersfield, California, $30, 1990-92

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Keith Ryan, 36 years old, Bakersfield, California, $30, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Details
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Joe Reeves, 37 years old, San Fernando, California, $40, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Joe Reeves, 37 years old, San Fernando, California, $40, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Chris, 28 years old, Los Angeles, California, $30, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Chris, 28 years old, Los Angeles, California, $30, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
William Charles Everlove, 26 years old, Stockholm, Sweden, via Arizona; $40, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
William Charles Everlove, 26 years old, Stockholm, Sweden, via Arizona; $40, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Tim, 27 years old, Orange County, California, $30, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Tim, 27 years old, Orange County, California, $30, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Rance DiGaetano lll, 28 years old, Glendale, California, $30 / 'Rose' Eunice Belcourt, 22 years old, Vancouver, California, $30, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Rance DiGaetano lll, 28 years old, Glendale, California, $30 / 'Rose' Eunice Belcourt, 22 years old, Vancouver, California, $30, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Brent Booth, 21 years old, Des Moines, Iowa, $30, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Brent Booth, 21 years old, Des Moines, Iowa, $30, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Cat' Thomas, 25 years old, Santa Monica and Detroit, $20, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Cat' Thomas, 25 years old, Santa Monica and Detroit, $20, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Robert 'Sparky' Anderson, 47 years old, Detroit, Michigan, $25, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Robert 'Sparky' Anderson, 47 years old, Detroit, Michigan, $25, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Major Tom, 20 years old, Kansas City, Kansas, $20, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Major Tom, 20 years old, Kansas City, Kansas, $20, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
David Holstein, 30 years old, Elnora, Indiana, $25, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
David Holstein, 30 years old, Elnora, Indiana, $25, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Roy, 'in his 20s', Los Angeles, California, $50, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Roy, 'in his 20s', Los Angeles, California, $50, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Tim Morgan Jr., 21 years old, Los Angeles, California, $25 / Joe Egure, 18 years old, Los Angeles, California, $25, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Tim Morgan Jr., 21 years old, Los Angeles, California, $25 / Joe Egure, 18 years old, Los Angeles, California, $25, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Shawn, 33 years old, New York, New York, $50, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Shawn, 33 years old, New York, New York, $50, 1990-92
Philip-Lorca diCorcia – Hustlers – Berlin

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Keith Ryan, 36 years old, Bakersfield, California, $30, 1990–92
Chromogenic print
60.3 × 91.1 cm
23 3/4 × 35 7/8 inches

Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Keith Ryan, 36 years old, Bakersfield, California, $30, 1990-92
Details
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