Between 1990 and 1992, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, funded by a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, made multiple
trips to Los Angeles to scout locations, invent scenarios, and ultimately find male prostitutes that would agree to pose for
his camera. The last task proved to be the easiest—diCorcia simply used his fellowship money to pay the men whatever
price they charged for their most typical service—and ultimately prompted a complaint of misuse of government funds.
In 1993, twenty-five selected images were initially exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, marking Philip-Lorca diCorcia’s
first solo exhibition. The show, entitled “Strangers” was accompanied by a museum catalog. Twenty years later, steidldangin
publishes the series in its entirety. Hustlers is an empathetic yet melancholic poem of the Hollywood dream gone
wrong, prescribing to the heavily-staged pictorialism and happenstance of street casting for which diCorcia is most widely
recognized. Knowing precisely what he wanted from each photograph, and fearful of police involvement, diCorcia would
prearrange all settings: this motel room, that vacant lot, in between cars, in a fast-food restaurant—the narrative was always
deliberate. From the moment diCorcia approached a potential subject (usually around Santa Monica Boulevard in
Hollywood), to the completion of the shoot, seldom more than one hour had passed. The titles of these encounters amplify
the facts: Ralph Smith, 21 years old, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and $25.
Hustlers
