Photographer Marcia Resnick Dies at 74
Marcia Resnick, a photographer who chronicled New York City’s vibrant downtown art scene during the late 1970s and early 1980s, has passed away. Her lens captured an era of artistic ferment and counter-cultural figures, leaving behind a rich visual legacy of the city’s creative underbelly.
Remembering an Icon
The artist’s death was caused by lung cancer, according to her sister, Janice Hahn, the sole surviving relative. Resnick initially focused on conceptual photography before shifting to portraiture. This pivot coincided with her deep involvement with the artists and musicians frequenting New York nightspots like the Mudd Club and CBGB, including those within the burgeoning punk movement.
Her most recognizable subjects included influential male musicians, some well-known and others more niche, such as Mick Jagger and Klaus Nomi. The latter, who died in 1983, was among the early downtown figures to die from AIDS-related complications.
“I am so saddened to hear of the passing of Marcia Resnick. Her work was so authentic, raw, and beautiful. She will be greatly missed.”
—Friend of Marcia, Photographer
Resnick was briefly married to Wayne Kramer, guitarist for the Detroit-based punk band MC5. Additionally, Joseph Beuys, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ed Koch, and comedian John Belushi all posed for her. This last photograph, taken during a visit to her Canal Street studio in 1982, is believed to be the final photo of Belushi prior to his death from an overdose.
The artist’s photographs also challenged gender norms, frequently showing subjects in intimate moments that contrasted the polished images typically associated with male celebrities. Her works are featured in her series, “Punks, Poets & Provocateurs: New York City Bad Boys, 1977–1982.”
A Lasting Impact
Some of Resnick’s work appeared in the SoHo Weekly News, where she served as a columnist. Despite her public attention, Resnick privately struggled with alcohol, which led to heroin addiction for over two decades. Today, she is acknowledged as a significant documentarian of the 1980s punk scene. The National Endowment for the Arts reports that in 2022, the arts and culture sector contributed over $919.7 billion to the U.S. economy, highlighting the enduring impact of creative fields like photography (NEA Report 2022).
In 2022, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Maine displayed a retrospective of her photography before it moved to two other institutions. Her death marks the end of a significant career, yet her photographs continue to offer an intimate view of a pivotal era.