Andres Serrano papers
name: label: Creator
content: Serrano, Andres, 1950-
label: Names
content: Lippard, Lucy R.
topic: label: Occupation
content: Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Latino and Latin American artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The papers were donated by Andres Serrano in 2015.
creator: label: Creator
content: Serrano, Andres, 1950-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Andres Serrano papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of photographer Andres Serrano, measure 2.8 linear feet and date from 1986 to 2013. The collection documents Serrano's work as a photographer through correspondence, writings, professional files, personal business records, and printed materials.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Andres Serrano (1950- ) is a photographer in New York, New York. 

Serrano was born in New York City to Honduran and Afro-Cuban parents. He attended the Brooklyn Museum Art School from 1967 to 1969. In the late 1980s, he gained notoriety because of the controversy surrounding Piss Christ, a photograph depicting a crucifix submerged in Serrano's urine. The photograph was part of an exhibition, partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art. Along with Robert Mapplethorpe and other artists, Serrano became the target of conservative politicians who viewed the photograph as blasphemous resulting in pressure on the National Endowment for the Arts to stop using government money to fund artists deemed as offensive. Serrano's continued exploration of provocative subjects such as the Ku Klux Klan, the deceased, and human sexuality keeps him at the center of debates focused on the freedom of speech in art.

Serrano married artist Julie Ault in 1980. They separated in 1990 and divorced in 2005. He is now married to Irina Movmyga.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2.8 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1986-2013
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.serrandr
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Interviews
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as five series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1987-2013 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 2: Writings, circa 1990-2008 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 3: Professional Files, 1987-2008 (Box 1-2; 1.0 linear feet)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1986-2012 (Box 2-4; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 5: Printed Materials, 1987-2008 (Box 4; 0.2 linear feet)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2019.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of photographer Andres Serrano measure 2.8 linear feet and date from 1986 to 2013. The collection documents Serrano's work as a photographer through correspondence, writings, professional files, personal business records, and printed materials.

Correspondence is primarily professional and concerns photography projects, exhibitions, and events. Writings include artist statements and student papers by Serrano, manuscripts by Lucy R. Lippard and others, and interview transcripts. Professional files for various photography projects, including color photographs of portrait subjects, grant applications, and documentation for charities, travel, and exhibitions. Personal business records documenting Serrano's business dealings with galleries, legal issues, and documentation of artwork sales and consignments. Printed materials, including clippings, announcements, and periodicals document Serrano's career and issues such as free speech.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also at the Archives of American Art is an interview of Andres Serrano conducted by Frank H. Goodyear from July 29 to July 30, 2009 at Serrano's home in New York, N.Y. for the Archives of American Art.