Nan Goldin (55)

"Nan Goldin is a major figure in the contemporary art world. She is most famous for the long-term photographic record of the lives of her and her friends, 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency.' She calls this 'the diary I let people read.' Her work comments frankly on all aspects of the lives of her immediate circle, the main themes being relationships, sexuality, eroticism and the problems of alcohol and drug addiction. More recently, her images have shown the devastating AIDS has had on this community of friends. Her work is by turns disturbing, poignant and celebratory."-the publisher.