Voyeurism is a natural part of New York life, thanks to the close proximity we share with so many strangers, but a new exhibit at the White Columns Gallery is taking it to a whole new level. The show displays photos—found in a suitcase bought as part of an estate auction—which document an affair between a married German businessman and his married secretary between May 1969 and December 1970. As well as the highly intimate photographs, the suitcase contained a lock of her hair and various other personal artifacts that would indicate a certain level of sentimentality. A quick look through the man’s accompanying journal, however, casts things in a much creepier light, as it documents each of their trysts in an obsessively factual manner, including the exact length and frequency of each sexual act.
Gallery Margaret: Chronicle of an Affair – May 1969 to December 1970 runs through April 18—you can see some of the photos in the slideshow below. And if you feel like you need to see something less disturbing afterwards, try the more warm and inspiring Basquiat show, or track down one of the 100 best paintings in New York.
